mm- 


Douglas  Castle, 
Drawn  and  Etched  by  H.  Macbeth-Raebum. 


JEtiition  te  Huxe 


CASTLE   DANGEROUS 

By  sir  WALTER  SCOTT,  Bart. 

asaitl)  JntroKuctorg  lEssag  anU  Notes 
By   ANDREW    LANG 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS 


BOSTON 

ESTES    AND    LAURIAT 
1894 


CL^-K-4^ 


-u-U^ 


EDITION  DE    LUXE, 
Limited  to  One  Thousand  Copies, 

N0..2.3T 


Copyright,  1894, 
By  Estes  and  Lauriat. 


A— ^-^^^^^^  /^ 


TYPOGRAPHY,  ELECTROTYPING,  AND 
PRINTING  BY  JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON, 
UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,   U.S.A. 


TALES  OF  MY  LANDLORD. 

FOURTH  AND  LAST  SERIES. 

COLLECTED   AND    ARRANGED 

BY 

JEDEDIAH  CLEISHBOTHAM, 

SCHOOLMASTER  AND  PARISH-CLERK  OF  GANDEBCLEUCH. 


As  I  stood  by  yon  roofless  tower, 

Where  the  wa'flower  scents  the  dewy  air, 
Where  the  howlet  mourns  in  her  ivy  bower, 

And  tells  the  midnight  moon  her  care  •. 
The  winds  were  laid,  the  air  was  still. 

The  stars  they  shot  along  the  sky ; 
The  fox  was  howling  on  the  hill, 

And  the  distant  echoing  glens  reply. 

Robert  Burns. 


M59ayi9 


CASTLE    DANGEROUS. 


i;tiitton  tie  Mxt. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

Douglas  Castle Frontispiece 

The  Travelleks 7 

The  Hunting  Feast 94 

The  Escape 186 

The  Lady  watches  the  Combat 244 

Bannockburn      .    .    3 293 


EDITOK'S  INTRODUCTION 

TO 

CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

To  criticise  '*  Castle  Dangerous  ''  is  useless,  and  would 
be  impious. 

Was  never  wight  so  stoutly  made 
But  Time  and  years  will  overthrow, 

as  Major  Bellenden  sings.  Not  many  words  will  suf- 
^ce  to  tell,  after  Lockhart,  the  story  of  this  unfortunate 
romance.  Scott,  before  he  began  the  tale,  had  suffered 
one  paralytic  shock  after  another.  The  insults  to 
which  he  was  subjected  by  the  rabble  at  elections  had 
aggravated  his  maladies.  A  *' surgical  experiment" 
was  making  him  feel  ^*  like  the  Indian  at  the  torture- 
stake."  In  June  1831  Lockhart  went  to  London,  on 
business,  and,  returning,  found  that  Scott  *'had  been 
gradually  amending.''  But  a  morbid  activity  forbade 
him  to  give  his  brain  any  repose.  He  must  write,  or 
go  mad.  He  began  "Castle  Dangerous,"  based  on 
facts  already  recorded  in  his  '* Essay  on  Chivalry,"  in 
May  or  June,  r.nd  finished  it  before  the  end  of  August. 
With  Ballantynehe  had  broken  —  James,  too,  did  '^ap- 
propinque  an  end,"  their  tempers  and  ideas  clashed, 
and  Scott,  while  telling  Cadell  about  the  new  work, 
said  nothing  to  his  old  ally.  Ballantyne's  criticisms 
on  ^^ Count  Robert"  had  been  such  as  he  could  not  face 
again.  He  even  thought  of  giving  the  book  to  another 
printer,  but  this  severity  was  too  much  for  his  genial 
nature.  He  feared  that  he  might  have  forgotten  the 
scenery  which  he  was  to  describe,  and,  on  July  18,  set 
out  with  Lockhart  for  Lanarkshire.     They  went  up 


X  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  TO 

Tweed,  past  Yair,  Ashestiel,  and  Traquair,  the  beau- 
tiful familiar  places,  dull  in  a  sultry  day,  broken  by 
thunder.  The  lightning,  which  he  called  ''bonny, 
bonny"  when  a  child,  excited  him.  When  they  came 
within  view  of  the  dark  red  lowering  walls  of  Drochel 
Castle,  an  unfinished  strength  of  the  Regent  Morton, 
Scott  could  hardly  be  prevented  from  stopping  the 
carriage  and  walking  to  the  place.  They  pushed  on  to 
Biggar,  however,  where  the  people  turned  out  and 
welcomed  Sir  Walter.  ''It  was  the  first  time  I  ever 
saw  him  otherwise  than  annoyed  on  such  an  occasion." 
He  seemed,  to  Lockhart,  to  be  uneasy  about  his  mental 
condition,  setting  tasks  to  his  memory.  He  met  two 
discharged  soldiers,  or  men  w^ho  called  themselves  sol- 
diers, and  they  blessed  him  by  name.  He  was  touched, 
and  quoted  a  long  passage  from  Prior :  — 

And  he  who  played  the  harlequin, 
After  the  jest  still  loads  the  scene, 
Unwilling  to  retire,  though  weary. 

On  the  following  day  they  visited  Castle  Dangerous, 
and  the  Douglas  monuments  in  the  deserted  church. 
There  lies  the  e^gjj  cross-legged  as  a  Crusader,  of 
the  Black  Douglas,  the  friend  of  Bruce.  A  little 
crowd  gathered,  among  them  a  man  who  remembered 
the  Butcher  Cumberland.  Lockhart  praises  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  landscape  in  the  novel,  and  indeed  the 
scene  might  awaken  Scott's  smouldering  fire,  for  he 
was  shown  the  silver  case  that  once  held  the  chivalrous 
heart  of  the  good  Lord  James  —  the  heart  blazoned  on 
the  Douglas  shield.  Of  the  castle,  only  an  ivy-clad 
fragment  remained.  On  their  homeward  way  he  re- 
peated much  of  Wintoun,  Blind  Harry,  Barbour,  and 
nearly  all  of  Dunbar's  poems  on  the  "Deaths  of  the 
Makers."  Lockhart  saw  him  in  the  sensitive  mood 
which  he  once  confesses,  but  ever  concealed,  when  the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  a 

brook  or  the  breeze  brought  tears  to  his  eyes.  He 
quoted  the  ballad  of  Otterbourne  — 

My  wound  is  deep,  I  fain  would  sleep. 

The  passion  of  his  life,  the  love  of  times  gone  by,  the 
glory  of  old  houses  and  '^fights  fought  long  ago  ''  came 
upon  him.  At  Milton  Lockhart  they  met  Lockhart  of 
Borthwickbrae,  an  old  friend,  now  smitten  by  the  same 
malady  as  Scott  himself.  *^Each  saw  his  own  case 
glassed  in  the  other's,  and  neither  of  their  manly 
hearts  could  well  contain  itself  as  they  embraced." 
Next  morning  they  heard  that  Borthwickbrae  had  suf- 
fered another  stroke,  and  Scott  at  once  set  out  for 
home.  ^^  I  must  home  to  work  while  it  is  called  to-day : 
for  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work.''  So  they 
returned,  and  the  next  three  weeks  were  spent  on  his 
last  published  novel.  He  was  to  winter  abroad,  and, 
the  story  done,  he  enjoyed  a  kind  of  holiday  at  last,  in 
his  own  valley.  They  would  dine  under  the  great 
tree  at  Chiefswood,  they  visited  Ettrick  and  Bemerside, 
and  he  entertained  a  Son  of  Burns,  and  Wordsworth. 
On  Sept.  23  he  set  out  for  London  and  the  South.  On 
his  tour  he  wrote  the  unpublished  novel  ^*The  Siege 
of  Malta."  His  work  was  not  done,  but  his  work  for 
the  world's  eye  was  completed.  No  task  remained  for 
him,  save  the  last  pages  of  his  Journal,  and  the  intro- 
duction to  ^^  Castle  Dangerous,"  which  he  sent  from 
Naples,  true  to  the  last  call  of  duty.  He  also,  as  has 
been  said,  wrote  *'The  Siege  of  Malta."  A  draft  of  the 
manuscript  remains,  and  one  who  has  read  it  remarks 
that  it  is  not  destitute  of  fine  passages. 

On  Jan.  26,  1832,  Scott  notes,  in  his  Journal,  that 
he  has  good  news  from  Cadell.  ^'  *  Castle  Dangerous' 
and  ^  Count  Bobert,'  neither  of  whom  I  deemed  sea- 
worthy, have  performed  two  voyages  —  that  is,  each 
sold   about   3400  ...  as   yet   my   spell   holds   fast. " 


xll  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  TO 

Yet  he  *  thinks  the  public  mad  for  passing  these  two 
volumes,"  and  calculates  what  he  has  ^'on  the  stocks/' 
'^  Lady  Louisa  Stuart"  he  reckons  at  £500,  probably 
referring  to  the  unfinished  ^^  Private  Letters  ^'  begun 
before  ^^ Nigel.''  He  was,  apparently,  under  the  mis- 
conception that  this  old  work  was  finished,  whereas 
only  seventy  pages  were  in  type,  and  it  does  not  seem 
that  he  had  the  rest  in  manuscript.  '^The  Knights 
of  Malta  "  {sic)  he  estimated  at  £2500,  and  put  down 
as  much  for  *^  Reliquiae  Trotcosianse, "  the  descrip- 
tion of  his  library  and  collection  of  antiquities  which 
he  had  only  begun.  He  had  also  conceived  a  book  on 
the  origin  of  Mdrchen,  or  popular  tales,  an  account  of 
his  Tour,  and  a  book  for  the  Roxburghe  Club,  a  labour 
of  love.  The  old  man  in  him  was  unaltered:  he  dreamed 
again  of  buying  Faldonside.  In  fact,  illusions  were 
creeping  round  that  noble  intellect.  His  touching 
hope  that  his  ^^  powers  of  mind  were  not  to  have  a 
different  date  from  those  of  his  body  "  was  not  wholly 
fulfilled.  In  almost  the  last  lines  of  poetry  which 
came  from  his  pen,  the  motto  of  chap.  xiv.  of  ^^  Castle 
Dangerous,"  he  says 

But  he  that  creeps  from  cradle  on  to  grave, 
Unskilled  save  in  the  velvet  course  of  fortune. 
Hath  missed  the  discipline  of  noble  hearts. 

He  did  not  miss  the  discipline,  and  his  Journal  re- 
mains, a  splendid  example  of  constancy  and  fortitude 
under  every  form  of  trial.  Among  Sir  Walter's  lavish 
gifts  to  men,  the  most  glorious  is  his  example. 

Of  "Castle  Dangerous"  it  would  be  impious  to  speak 
as  if  it  represented  his  genius.  That  declared  itself 
in  his  emotion  as  witnessed  by  Lockhart,  but  its  broken 
message  he  could  no  longer  translate  into  words,  or 
transform  into  art.  Nor  is  it  a  grateful  task  to  con- 
sider the  tale  pathologically,  to  remark  on  the  strange 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  xiii 

blending  of  associations  which  makes  him  represent 
his  minstrel  as  a  bibliophile  and  antiquary,  and  on 
the  weakness  shown  by  such  visions  as  the  Knight  of 
the  Sepulchre,  the  burning  of  the  coffins,  the  one-eyed 
Ursula.  These  things  were  inevitable,  pyschologically, 
in  the  condition  of  his  brain.  He  is  more  like  himself 
in  his  last  hunting-scene,  and  his  account  of  the  keen 
hunting-passion  of  the  peasants.  His  intellect,  clear 
and  humorous  to  the  last  page  of  his  Journal,  could 
no  longer  grapple  with  the  task  of  creation.  Human 
respect  forbids  us  to  linger  over  the  dying  effort  made 
in  **  Castle  Dangerous.'' 

Merely  by  way  of  being  complete,  something  may 
be  said  here  about  a  curious  imposture,  the  so-called 
posthumous  romance  of  ^^Moredun."  A  Monsieur  E. 
de  Saint-Maurice  Cabany  told,  in  1855,  the  following 
tale.  He  knew  a  German  merchant  who  bequeathed 
to  him  a  desk,  in  which  was  a  collection  of  Royalist 
tracts,  and  a  manuscript  called  '^Moredun,  a  Tale  of 
the  1210.''  Accompanying  the  manuscript  was  a  letter 
(given  in  fac-simile)  addressed  to  **My  dear  W.  S.  " 
(Paris,  4th  November,  1826),  and  signed  ^^W.  S.'' 
The  letter  is,  at  least,  in  a  good  imitation  of  Scott's 
hand.  It  purported  to  be  addressed  to  his  friend, 
William  Spencer,  then  ruined,  and  in  Paris.  Spencer 
was  asked  for  a  manuscript  of  Scott's  for  a  friend  (the 
German) :  Scott  supposes  him  really  to  want  it  for 
himself.  If  ever  Spencer  publishes  it,  it  must  be  as 
by  W.  S.,  and  he  must  let  it  be  supposed  that  it  is 
Spencer's  own  work.  Kow  the  letter,  in  style  as  well 
as  in  handwriting,  is  almost  beyond  the  ability  of  a 
forger.  Every  turn,  every  phrase,  all  the  careless  man- 
ner of  it,  is  Sir  Walter's.  He  certainly  was  in  Paris 
at  the  date  given,  and  he  certainly  breakfasted  with 
Spencer.  The  letter  may  be  quoted  for  the  satisfaction 
of  the  curious. 


xiv  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  TO 

Paris,  4th  November,  1826. 

My  dear  W.  S.,  —  I  am  constrained  to  make  of  this  note 
a  letter  of  initials,  for  I  am  not  quite  satisfied  with  myself  in 
agreeing  to  write  it,  and  there  is  no  saying  into  whose  hands 
it  may  fall. 

The  story  which  Anne  has  told  me  about  your  daft  friend, 
the  foreign  monomaniac,  is  as  clearly  the  case  of  a  man  who 
requires  to  be  cognosced  as  I  ever  met  with  ;  but,  as  it  appears 
to  me  that  she  has  taken  it  most  ridiculously  to  heart,  we 
have  brought  our  discussion  of  it  to  a  conclusion  by  my  con- 
senting to  her  doing  what  you  could  not  be  told  of  until  she 
had  received  the  permission  of  papa. 

She  has  possessed  herself,  for  a  long  time  past,  of  a  tale 
which  I  had,  at  one  time,  the  intention  of  making  the  first  of 
a  series  of  such  things  drawn  from  the  history  of  Scotland  — 
a  notion  which  I  afterward  gave  up ;  for  Anne,  however,  that 
story  has  always  possessed  a  great  charm,  and  I  allowed  her 
to  keep  it,  because  I  was  under  the  impression  that  a  mere 
story,  which  oSers  no  particular  merits  but  those  of  events 
and  a  plot,  would  not  appear  advantageously  among  works 
which  had  the  higher  object  of  painting  character  —  that 
would  be  to  take  a  step  backward,  which  would  never  do  — 
besides,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  there  are  a  great  many 
anachronisms  and  freedoms  used  with  persons  and  places 
which  are  not  in  keeping  with  the  character  of  historian  to 
which  I  now  aspire. 

I  consider,  then,  that  in  authorising  my  daughter  to  give 
you  that  work  as  a  panacea  for  the  imaginary  ills  of  a  foreign 
monomaniac,  I  only  permit  a  change  of  proprietorship.  At 
the  same  time,  in  allowing  Anne  to  make  a  present  to  you  of 
what  is  but  a  trifle  after  all,  I  must  make  a  most  serious 
stipulation  regarding  it  —  for  I  tell  you  candidly  that  I  be- 
lieve W.  S.  himself  to  be  the  real  malade  imaginaire  —  that 
stipulation  is,  that  if,  at  any  time,  you  take  the  fancy  of  pub- 
lishing that  tale,  you  will  do  so  with  the  initials  only,  and  that 
you  will  do  all  that  you  can  in  fairness  do  to  countenance  the 
idea  that  it  is  a  bairn  of  your  ain. 

I  wish  I  could  do  something  for  you  personally  of  some  less 
doubtful  character  than  that  of  humouring  the  caprices  of  a 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  xv 

daft  man ;  but  you  know  how  I  am  placed  at  present.    Be- 
lieve, however,  that  you  have  no  more  sincere  friend  than 

W.  S. 

Cabany  deposited  his  account  of  the  circumstances 
with  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  on  Nov.  24,  1854. 
On  Nov.  29  Lockhart  died.  On  March  3,  1855,  Mr. 
Skene  of  Rubislaw,  Mr.  Gordon  (Scott's  amanuensis), 
and  a  niece  of  Scott's  wrote  to  the  Athenceum^  denying 
the  truth  of  the  story.  Cabany's  answer  was  extremely 
ingenious,  and,  to  be  fair,  was  telling.  He  remarked 
that,  on  Nov.  14,  1814,  Ballantyne  wrote  to  Miss  Edge- 
worth,  to  whom  he  had  sent  ^^Waverley,"  promising 
^^ere  long''  another  novel,  ^ describing  more  ancient 
manners. "  Now  the  novels  which  followed  ^  ^  Waverley  " 
described  more  modern  manners — they  were  **Guy 
Mannering "  and  *^The  Antiquary."  ^^Moredun," 
then,  must  be  what  Ballantyne  had  in  his  mind.  Ca- 
bany easily  detected  inconsistencies  in  the  arguments 
and  statements  of  Mr.  Skene  and  Mr.  Gordon,  and  of 
the  niece.  The  evidence  of  the  niece  was  bad  enough, 
careless  enough,  and,  in  dates,  confused  enough,  to 
ruin  the  value  of  her  testimony.  Mr.  Gordon  asserted 
that  Scott  never  signed  ^^W.  S."  A  letter  of  his,  also, 
to  W.  S.  (William  Scrope)  signed  ^*  W.  S."  was  imme- 
diately produced.  As  to  the  assertion  that  Scott  would 
not  give  away  a  work,  he  later  gave  two  sermons  to 
Gordon  himself  (Dec.  28,  1827). 

That  '^Moredun"  is  not  by  Scott,  that  it  cannot  be 
by  Scott,  perhaps  no  one  who  tries  to  read  it  will  deny. 
But  the  ingenuity  of  the  introductory  letter,  the  clever- 
ness of  the  replies  to  Skene  and  Gordon,  are  perhaps 
without  example  in  the  records  of  literary  forgery.  As 
Sir  Walter's  niece  remarked,  *'I  cannot  think  that 
foreigners  alone  would  have  ventured  on  this."  Who 
was  the  forger?  Andrew  Lang, 

July  1894. 


INTKODUCTION 

TO 

CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

[The  following  Introduction  to  "  Castle  Dangerous  " 
was  forwarded  hy  Sir  Walter  Scott  from  Naples  in 
February  1832,  together  with  some  corrections  of  the 
text,  and  notes  on  localities  mentioned  in  the  Novel. 

The  materials  for  the  Introduction  must  have  been 
collected  before  he  left  Scotland,  in  September  1831; 
hut  in  the  hurry  of  preparing  for  his  voyage,  he  had 
not  been  able  to  arrange  them  so  as  to  accompany  the 
first  edition  of  this  Romance. 

A  feio  notes,  supplied  by  the  Editor,'^  are  placed 
within  brackets.'] 

The  incidents  on  which  the  ensuing  Novel  mainly 
turns  are  derived  from  the  ancient  Metrical  Chronicle 
of  *'The  Bruce/'  by  Archdeacon  Barbour,  and  from 
*^The  History  of  the  Houses  of  Douglas  and  Angus," 
by  David  Hume  of  Godscroft  ;  and  are  sustained  by 
the  immemorial  tradition  of  the  western  parts  of  Scot- 
land. They  are  so  much  in  consonance  with  the  spirit 
and  manners  of  the  troubled  age  to  which  they  are 
referred,  that  I  can  see  no  reason  for  doubting  their  be- 
ing founded  in  fact :  the  names,  indeed,  of  numberless 
localities  in  the  vicinity  of  Douglas  Castle  appear  to 
attest,  beyond  suspicion,  many  even  of  the  smallest 
circumstances  embraced  in  the  story  of  Godscroft. 

1  [J.  G.  Lockhart.j 
h 


xviii  INTRODUCTION  TO 

Among  all  the  associates  of  Robert  the  Bruce,  in  his 
great  enterprise  of  rescuing  Scotland  from  the  power 
of  Edward,  the  first  place  is  universally  conceded  to 
James,  the  eighth  Lord  Douglas,  to  this  day  venerated 
by  his  countrymen  as  ^^the  Good  Sir  James:" 

The  Gud  Schyr  James  of  Douglas, 
That  in  his  time  sa  worthy  was, 
That  off  his  price  and  his  bounte. 
In  far  landis  renownyt  was  he. 

Barboue. 

The  Good  Sir  James,  the  dreadful  blacke  Douglas, 
That  in  his  dayes  so  wise  and  worthie  was, 
Wha  here,  and  on  the  infidels  of  Spain, 
Such  honour,  praise,  and  triumphs  did  obtain. 

Gordon. 

From  the  time  when  the  King  of  England  refused  to 
reinstate  him,  on  his  return  from  France,  where  he 
had  received  the  education  of  chivalry,  in  the  extensive 
possessions  of  his  family,  —  which  had  been  held  for- 
feited by  the  exertions  of  his  father,  William  the 
Hardy  —  the  young  knight  of  Douglas  appears  to  have 
embraced  the  cause  of  Bruce  with  enthusiastic  ardour, 
and  to  have  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  his  sovereign 
with  unwearied  fidelity  and  devotion.  *'The  Doug- 
lasse,'' says  Hollinshed,  ^'was  right  joyfully  received 
of  King  Robert,  in  whose  service  he  faithfully  con- 
tinued, both  in  peace  and  war,  to  his  life's  end. 
Though  the  surname  and  familie  of  the  Douglasses 
was  in  some  estimation  of  nobilitie  before  those  daies, 
yet  the  rising  thereof  to  honour  chanced  through  this 
James  Douglasse  ;  for,  by  meanes  of  his  advancement, 
others  of  that  lineage  tooke  occasion,  by  their  singular 
manhood  and  noble  prowess,  shewed  at  sundrie  times  in 
defence  of  the  realme,  to  grow  to  such  height  in  autho- 
ritie  and  estimation,  that  their  mightie  puissance  in 
mainrent,^  lands,  and  great  possessions,  at  length  was 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  xix 

(through  suspicion  conceived  by  the  kings  that  suc- 
ceeded) the  cause  in  part  of  their  ruinous  decay." 

In  every  narrative  of  the  Scottish  war  of  indepen- 
dence, a  considerable  space  is  devoted  to  those  years  of 
perilous  adventure  and  suffering  which  were  spent  by 
the  illustrious  friend  of  Bruce,  in  harassing  the  English 
detachments  successively  occupying  his  paternal  terri- 
tory, and  in  repeated  and  successful  attempts  to  wrest 
the  formidable  fortress  of  Douglas  Castle  itself  from 
their  possession.  In  the  English,  as  well  as  Scotch 
Chronicles,  and  in  Eymer's  ^^Foedera,"  occur  frequent 
notices  of  the  different  officers  intrusted  by  Edward 
with  the  keeping  of  this  renowned  stronghold  ;  espe- 
cially Sir  Robert  de  Clifford,  ancestor  of  the  heroic  race 
of  the  Cliffords,  Earls  of  Cumberland;  his  lieutenant, 
Sir  Eichard  de  Thurlewalle  (written  sometimes  Thrus- 
wall),  of  Thirwall  Castle,  on  the  Tippal,  in  Northum- 
berland; and  Sir  John  de  Walton,  the  romantic  story 
of  whose  love-pledge,  to  hold  the  Castle  of  Douglas  for 
a  year  and  day,  or  surrender  all  hope  of  obtaining  his 
mistress's  favour,  with  the  tragic  consequences,  softened 
in  the  Novel,  is  given  at  length  in  Godscroft,  and  has 
often  been  pointed  out  as  one  of  the  affecting  passages 
in  the  chronicles  of  chivalry.^ 

The  Author,  before  he  had  made  much  progress  in 
this,  probably  the  last  of  his  Novels,  undertook  a  jour- 
ney to  Douglasdale,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the 
remains  of  the  famous  Castle,  the  Kirk  of  St.  Bride 
of  Douglas,  the  patron  saint  of  that  great  family,  and 
the  various  localities  alluded  to  by  Godscroft,  in  his 
account  of  the  early  adventures  of  Good  Sir  James ;  but 
though  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  zealous  and 
well-informed  cicerone  in   Mr.  Thomas    Haddow,   and 

1  [The  reader  will  find  both  this  story,  and  that  of  Robert  of 
Paris,  in  Sir  W.  Scott's  Essay  on  Chivalry,  published  in  1818,  in 
the  Supplement  to  the  Encyclopcedia  Britannica.  —  Ed.'\ 


XX  INTRODUCTION  TO 

had  every  assistance  from  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Alex- 
ander rinlay,  the  resident  chamberlain  of  his  friend, 
Lord  Douglas,  the  state  of  his  health  at  the  time  was 
so  feeble  that  he  found  himself  incapable  of  pursuing 
his  researches,  as  in  better  days  he  would  have  de- 
lighted to  do,  and  was  obliged  to  be  contented  with 
such  a  cursory  view  of  scenes,  in  themselves  most  in- 
teresting, as  could  be  snatched  in  a  single  morning, 
when  any  bodily  exertion  was  painful.  Mr.  Haddow 
was  attentive  enough  to  forward  subsequently  some 
notes  on  the  points  which  the  Author  had  seemed  de- 
sirous of  investigating;  but  these  did  not  reach  him 
until,  being  obliged  to  prepare  matters  for  a  foreign 
excursion  in  quest  of  health  and  strength,  he  had 
been  compelled  to  bring  his  work,  such  as  it  is,  to  a 
conclusion. 

The  remains  of  the  old  Castle  of  Douglas  are  incon- 
siderable. They  consist  indeed  of  but  one  ruined 
tower,  standing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  modern 
mansion,  which  itself  is  only  a  fragment  of  the  design 
on  which  the  Duke  of  Douglas  meant  to  reconstruct 
the  edifice,  after  its  last  accidental  destruction  by  fire.^ 

1  [The  following  notice  of  Douglas  Castle,  &c.,  is  from  the 
"Description  of  the  Sheriffdom  of  Lanark,"  by  William  Hamil- 
ton of  Wishaw,  written  in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  and 
printed  by  the  Maitland  Club  of  Glasgow  in  1831 :  — 

"Douglass  parish,  and  baronie  and  lordship,  heth  very  long 
appertained  to  the  family  of  Douglass,  and  continued  with  the 
Earles  of  Douglass  untill  their  fatall  forfeiture,  anno  1455  ;  during 
which  tyme  there  are  many  noble  and  important  actions  recorded 
in  histories  performed  by  them,  by  the  lords  and  earls  of  that 
great  family.  It  was  thereafter  given  to  Douglass,  Earl  of 
Anguse,  and  continued  with  them  untill  William,  Earle  of  Anguse, 
was  created  Marquess  of  Douglass,  anno  1633;  and  is  now  the 
principal  seat  of  the  Marquess  of  Douglass  his  family.  It  is  a 
large  baronie  and  parish,  and  ane  laick  patronage ;  and  the  Mar- 
quess is  both  titular  and  patron.  He  heth  there,  near  to  the 
church,  a  very  considerable  great  house,  called  the  Castle  of 
Douglass ;  and  near  the  church  is  a  fyne  village,  called  the  town 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  xxi 

His  G-race  had  kept  in  view  the  ancient  prophecy, 
that  as  often  as  Douglas  Castle  might  be  destroyed,  it 
should  rise  again  in  enlarged  dimensions  and  improved 
splendour,  and  projected  a  pile  of  building,  which, 
if  it  had  been  completed,  would  have  much  exceeded 
any  nobleman's  residence  then  existing  in  Scotland  — 
as,  indeed,  what  has  been  finished,  amounting  to  about 
one  eighth  part  of  the  plan,  is  sufficiently  extensive 
for  the  accommodation  of  a  large  establishment,  and 
contains  some  apartments  the  dimensions  of  which 
are  magnificent.  The  situation  is  commanding  ;  and 
though  the  Duke's  successors  have  allowed  the  man- 
sion to  continue  as  he  left  it,  great  expense  has  been 
lavished  on  the  environs,  which  now  present  a  vast 
sweep  of  richly  undulated  woodland,  stretching  to  the 
borders  of  the  Cairntable  mountains,  repeatedly  men- 
tioned as  the  favourite  retreat  of  the  great  ancestor  of 
the  family  in  the  days  of  his  hardship  and  persecution. 
There  remains  at  the  head  of  the  adjoining  bourg,  the 
choir  of  the  ancient  church  of  St.  Bride,  having  be- 
neath it  the  vault  which  was  used  till  lately  as  the 
burial-place  of  this  princely  race,  and  only  abandoned 
when  their  stone  and  leaden  coffins  had  accumulated, 
in  the  course  of  five  or  six  hundred  years,  in  such  a 
way  that  it  could  accommodate  no  more.  Here  a  silver 
case,  containing  the  dust  of  what  was  once  the  brave 

of  Douglass,  long  since  erected  in  a  burgh  of  baronie.  It  heth 
ane  handsome  church,  with  many  ancient  monuments  and  inscrip- 
tions on  the  old  interments  of  the  Earles  of  this  place. 

"The  water  of  Douglas  runs  quyte  through  the  whole  length 
of  this  parish,  and  upon  either  side  of  the  water  it  is  called 
Douglasdale.  It  toucheth  Clyde  towards  the  north,  and  is 
bounded  by  Lesmahagow  to  the  west,  Kyle  to  the  south-west, 
Crawfurd  John  and  Carmichaell  to  the  south  and  south-east. 
It  is  a  pleasant  strath,  plentiful!  in  grass  and  corn,  and  coall; 
and  the  minister  is  well  provided. 

**  The  lands  of  Heysleside,  belonging  to  Samuel  Douglass,  has 
a  good  house  and  pleasant  seat,  close  by  a  wood,"  &c.  —  p.  65.] 


xxS  INTRODUCTION  TO 

heart  of  Good  Sir  James,  is  still  pointed  outj  and  in 
the  dilapidated  choir  above  appears,  though  in  a  sorely 
ruinous  state,  the  once  magnificent  tomb  of  the  warrior 
himself.  After  detailing  the  well-known  circumstances 
of  Sir  James's  death  in  Spain,  20th  August,  1330,  where 
he  fell,  assisting  the  King  of  Arragon  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Moors,  when  on  his  way  back  to  Scotland 
from  Jerusalem,  to  which  he  had  conveyed  the  heart 
of  Bruce  —  the  old  poet  Barbour  tells  us  that  — 

Quhen  his  men  lang  had  mad  murnyn, 
Thai  debowalyt  him,  and  syne 
Gert  scher  him  swa,  that  mycht  be  tane 
The  flesch  all  haly  fra  the  bane, 
And  the  carioune  thar  in  haly  place 
Erdyt,  with  rycht  gret  worschip,  was. 

The  banys  haue  thai  with  thaim  tane; 
And  syne  ar  to  thair  schippis  gane ; 
Syne  to  wart  Scotland  held  thair  way, 
And  thar  ar  cummyn  in  full  gret  hy. 
And  the  banys  honorabilly 

In  till  the  Kyrk  off  Douglas  war 
Erdyt,  with  dule  and  mekill  car. 
Schyr  Archebald  his  sone  gert  syn 
Off  alabastre,  bath  fair  and  fyne, 
Ordane  a  tumbe  sa  richly 
As  it  behowyt  to  swa  worthy. 

The  monument  is  supposed  to  have  been  wantonly 
mutilated  and  defaced  by  a  detachment  of  Cromwell's 
troops,  who,  as  was  their  custom,  converted  the  kirk 
of  St.  Bride  of  Douglas  into  a  stable  for  their  horses. 
Enough,  however,  remains  to  identify  the  resting-place 
of  the  great  Sir  James.  The  ef^gy^  of  dark  stone, 
is  cross-legged,  marking  his  character  as  one  who 
had  died  after  performing  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  and  in  actual  conflict  with  the  infidels  of 
Spain;  and  the  introduction  of  the  heart,  adopted 
as  an  addition  to  the  old  arms  of  Douglas,  in  conse- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  xxiii 

quence  of  the  knight's  fulfilment  of  Bruce's  dying 
injunction,  appears,  when  taken  in  connection  with 
the  posture  of  the  figure,  to  set  the  question  at  rest. 
The  monument,  in  its  original  state,  must  have  been 
not  inferior  in  any  respect  to  the  best  of  the  same 
period  in  Westminster  Abbey ;  and  the  curious  reader 
is  referred  for  further  particulars  of  it  to  ^*The  Sepul- 
chral Antiquities  of  Great  Britain,  "  by  Edward  Blore, 
F.S.A.  London,  4to,  1826;  where  may  also  be  found 
interesting  details  of  some  of  the  other  tombs  and  effi- 
gies in  the  cemetery  of  the  first  house  of  Douglas. 

As  considerable  liberties  have  been  taken  with  the 
historical  incidents  on  which  this  novel  is  founded, 
it  is  due  to  the  reader  to  place  before  him  such  extracts 
from  Godscroft  and  Barbour  as  may  enable  him  to  cor- 
rect any  mis-impression.  The  passages  introduced  in 
the  Appendix,  from  the  ancient  poem  of  *<The  Bruce," 
will,  moreover,  gratify  those  who  have  not  in  their 
possession  a  copy  of  the  text  of  Barbour,  as  given  in 
the  valuable  quarto  edition  of  my  learned  friend  Dr. 
Jamieson,  as  furnishing  on  the  whole  a  favourable  spe- 
cimen of  the  style  and  manner  of  a  venerable  classic, 
who  wrote  when  Scotland  was  still  full  of  the  fame 
and  glory  of  her  liberators  from  the  yoke  of  Plantage- 
net,  and  especially  of  Sir  James  Douglas,  ''of  whom,'' 
says  Godscroffc,  ''we  will  not  omit  here  (to  shut  up 
all)  the  judgment  of  those  times  concerning  him,  in 
a  rude  verse  indeed,  yet  such  as  beareth  witness  of 
his  true  magnanimity  and  invincible  mind  in  either 
fortune :  — 

Good  Sir  James  Douglas  (who  wise,  and  wight,  and  worthy  was) 
Was  never  overglad  in  no  winning,  nor  yet  oversad  for  no  tineing ; 
Good  fortune  and  evil  chance  he  weighed  both  in  one  balance. 

w.  s. 


APPENDIX. 
No.  I. 

Extracts  from  "  The  History  of  the  Houses  of  Douglas 
and  Angus.  By  Master  David  Hume  of  Gods- 
croft.^^     Folio  Edition, 

.  .  .  And  here  indeed  the  course  of  the  King's  mis- 
fortunes begins  to  make  some  halt  and  stay  by  thus 
much  prosperous  successe  in  his  own  person  ;  but  more 
in  the  person  of  Sir  James,  by  the  re-conquests  of  his 
owne  castles  and  countries.  From  hence  he  went  into 
Douglasdale,  where,  by  the  means  of  his  father's  old 
servant,  Thomas  Dickson,  he  took  in  the  Castle  of 
Douglas,  and  not  being  able  to  keep  it,  he  caused  burn 
it,  contenting  himself  with  this,  that  his  enemies  had 
one  strength  fewer  in  that  country  than  before.  The 
manner  of  his  taking  of  it  is  said  to  have  beene  thus  :  — 
Sir  James,  taking  only  with  him  two  of  his  servants, 
went  to  Thomas  Dickson,  of  whom  he  was  received 
with  tears,  after  he  had  revealed  himself  to  him,  for  the 
good  old  man  knew  him  not  at  first,  being  in  mean  and 
homely  apparell.  There  he  kept  him  secretly  in  a  quiet 
chamber,  and  brought  unto  him  such  as  had  been  trusty 
servants  to  his  father,  not  all  at  once,  but  apart  by  one 
and  one,  for  fear  of  discoverie.  Their  advice  was,  that 
on  Palmsunday,  when  the  English  would  come  forth  to 
the  church,  and  his  partners  were  conveened,  that  then 
he  should  give  the  word,  and  cry  the  Douglas  slogan, 
and  presently  set  upon  them  that  should  happen  to  be 


xxvi  APPENDIX  TO 

there,  who  being  dispatched,  the  Castle  might  he  taken 
easily.  This  being  concluded,  and  they  come,  so  soon 
as  the  English  were  entered  into  the  church  with  palms 
in  their  hands  (according  to  the  costume  of  that  day), 
little  suspecting  or  fearing  any  such  thing,  Sir  James, 
according  to  their  appointment,  cryed  too  soon  (a  Doug- 
las, a  Douglas  !)  which  being  heard  in  the  church  (this 
was  Saint  Bride's  church  of  Douglas),  Thomas  Dick- 
son, supposing  he  had  beene  hard  at  hand,  drew  out 
his  sword,  and  ran  upon  them,  having  none  to  second 
him  but  another  man,  so  that,  oppressed  by  the  number 
of  his  enemies,  he  was  beaten  downe  and  slaine.  In 
the  meantime.  Sir  James  being  come,  the  English  that 
were  in  the  chancel  kept  off  the  Scots,  and  having  the 
advantage  of  the  strait  and  narrow  entrie,  defended 
themselves  manfully.  But  Sir  James  encouraging  his 
men,  not  so  much  by  words  as  by  deeds  and  good  ex- 
ample, and  having  slain  the  boldest  resisters,  prevailed 
at  last,  and  entring  the  place,  slew  some  twenty-six  of 
their  number,  and  tooke  the  rest,  about  ten  or  twelve 
persons,  intending  by  them  to  get  the  Castle  upon 
composition,  or  to  enter  with  them  when  the  gates 
should  be  opened  to  let  them  in  :  but  it  needed  not, 
for  they  of  the  Castle  were  so  secure,  that  there  was 
none  left  to  keep  it  save  the  porter  and  the  cooke,  who 
knowing  nothing  of  what  had  hapned  at  the  church, 
which  stood  a  large  quarter  of  a  mile  from  thence,  had 
left  the  gate  wide  open,  the  porter  standing  without,  and 
the  cooke  dressing  the  dinner  within.  They  entred 
without  resistance,  and  meat  being  ready,  and  the  cloth 
laid,  they  shut  the  gates,  and  tooke  their  refection  at 
good  leasure. 

Now  that  he  had  gotten  the  Castle  into  his  hands, 
considering  with  himself e  (as  he  was  a  man  no  less 
advised  than  valiant)  that  it  was  hard  for  him  to  keep 
it,  the  English  being  as  yet  the  stronger  in  that  coun- 


INTRODUCTION.  xxvii 

trey,  who  if  they  should  hesiege  him,  he  knewe  of  no 
reliefe,  he  thought  better  to  carry  away  such  things  as 
be  most  easily  transported,  gold,  silver,  and  apparell, 
with  ammunition  and  armour,  whereof  he  had  greatest 
use  and  need,  and  to  destroy  the  rest  of  the  provision, 
together  with  the  Castle  itselfe,  then  to  diminish  the 
number  of  his  followers  for  a  garrison  there  where  it 
could  do  no  good.  And  so  he  caused  carrie  the  meale 
and  malt,  and  other  cornes  and  graine,  into  the  cellar, 
and  laid  all  together  in  one  heape :  then  he  took  the 
prisoners  and  slew  them,  to  revenge  the  death  of  his 
trustie  and  valiant  servant,  Thomas  Dickson,  mingling 
the  victuals  with  their  bloud,  and  burying  their  car- 
kasses  in  the  heap  of  corner  after  that  he  struck  out 
the  heads  of  the  barrells  and  puncheons,  and  let  the 
drink  runn  through  all  ;  and  then  he  cast  the  carkasses 
of  dead  horses  and  other  carrion  amongst  it,  throwing 
the  salt  above  all,  so  to  make  all  together  unusefull 
to  the  enemie  ;  and  this  cellar  is  called  yet  the  Douglas 
Lairder.  Last  of  all,  he  set  the  house  on  fire,  and 
burnt  all  the  timber,  and  what  else  the  fire  could 
overcome,  leaving  nothing  but  the  scorched  walls  be- 
hind him.  And  this  seemes  to  be  the  first  taking  of 
the  Castle  of  Douglas,  for  it  is  supposed  that  he  took  it 
twice.  For  this  service,  and  others  done  to  Lord  Wil- 
liam his  father.  Sir  James  gave  unto  Thomas  Dickson 
the  lands  of  Hisleside,  which  hath  beene  given  him 
before  the  castle  was  taken  as  an  encouragement  to 
whet  him  on,  and  not  after,  or  he  was  slain  in  the 
church  :  which  was  both  liberally  and  wisely  done  of 
him,  thus  to  hearten  and  draw  men  to  his  service  by 
such  a  noble  beginning.  The  Castle  being  burnt.  Sir 
James  retired,  and  parting  his  men  into  divers  compa- 
nies, so  as  they  might  be  most  secret,  he  caused  cure 
such  as  were  wounded  in  the  fight,  and  he  himselfe 
kept  as  close  as  he  could,  waiting  ever  for  an  occasion 


xxviii  APPENDIX  TO 

to  enterprise  something  against  the  enemie.  So  soone 
as  he  was  gone,  the  Lord  Clifford  being  advertised  of 
what  had  happened,  came  himselfe  in  person  to  Doug- 
las, and  caused  re-edifie  and  repair  the  Castle  in  a  very 
short  time,  unto  which  he  also  added  a  Tower,  which  is 
yet  called  Harries  Tower  from  him,  and  so  returned 
into  England,  leaving  one  Thurswall  to  be  Captain 
thereof.  — Pp.  26-28. 

He  (Sir  James  Douglas)  getting  him  again  into 
Douglasdale,  did  use  this  stratagem  against  Thurswall, 
Captain  of  the  Castle,  under  the  said  Lord  Clifford. 
He  caused  some  of  his  folk  drive  away  the  cattle  that 
fed  near  unto  the  Castle,  and  when  the  Captain  of  the 
garrison  followed  to  rescue,  gave  orders  to  his  men  to 
leave  them  and  to  flee  away.  Thus  he  did  often  to  make 
the  Captain  slight  such  frays,  and  to  make  him  secure, 
that  he  might  not  suspect  any  further  end  to  be  on  it  ; 
which  when  he  had  wrought  sufficiently  (as  he  thought), 
he  laid  some  men  in  ambuscado,  and  sent  others  away 
to  drive  such  beasts  as  they  should  find  in  the  view  of 
the  Castle,  as  if  they  had  been  thieves  and  robbers,  as 
they  had  done  often  before.  The  Captain  hearing  of 
it,  and  supposing  there  was  no  greater  danger  now  than 
had  been  before,  issued  forth  of  the  Castle,  and  followed 
after  them  with  such  haste  that  his  men  (running  who 
should  be  first)  were  disordered  and  out  of  their  ranks. 
The  drivers  also  fled  as  fast  as  they  could  till  they  had 
drawn  the  Captain  a  little  way  beyond  the  place  of 
ambuscado,  which  when  they  perceived,  rising  quickly 
out  of  their  covert,  they  set  fiercely  upon  him  and  his 
company,  and  so  slew  himself  and  chased  his  men  back 
to  the  Castle,  some  of  whom  were  overtaken  and  slain, 
others  got  into  the  Castle  and  so  were  saved.  Sir  James, 
not  being  able  to  force  the  house,  took  what  booty  he 
could  get  without  in  the  fields,  and  so  departed.     By 


INTRODUCTION.  xxix 

this  means,  and  such  other  exploits,  he  so  affrighted 
the  enemy,  that  it  was  counted  a  matter  of  such  great 
jeopardy  to  keep  this  Castle,  that  it  began  to  be  called 
the  adventurous  (or  hazardous)  Castle  of  Douglas  : 
Whereupon  Sir  John  Walton  being  in  suit  of  an  English 
lady,  she  wrote  to  him  that  when  he  had  kept  the 
adventurous  Castle  of  Douglas  seven  years,  then  he 
might  think  himself  worthy  to  be  a  suitor  to  her. 
Upon  this  occasion,  Walton  took  upon  him  the  keeping 
of  it,  and  succeeded  to  Thurswall  ;  but  he  ran  the  same 
fortune  with  the  rest  that  were  before  him. 

Por,  Sir  James  having  first  dressed  an  ambuscado 
near  unto  the  place,  he  made  fourteen  of  his  men  take 
so  many  sacks,  and  fill  them  with  grass,  as  though  it 
had  been  corn,  which  they  carried  in  the  way  toward 
Lanark,  the  chief  market  town  in  that  county  :  so 
hoping  to  draw  forth  the  Captain  by  that  bait,  and 
either  to  take  him  or  the  Castle,   or  both. 

Neither  was  this  expectation  frustrate,  for  the  Captain 
did  bite,  and  came  forth  to  have  taken  this  victual  (as 
he  supposed).  But  ere  he  could  reach  these  carriers. 
Sir  James,  with  his  company,  had  gotten  between  the 
castle  and  him  :  and  these  disguised  carriers,  seeing 
the  Captain  following  after  them,  did  quickly  cast  off 
their  upper  garments,  wherein  they  had  masked .  them- 
selves, and  throwing  off  their  sacks,  mounted  themselves 
on  horseback,  and  met  the  Captain  with  a  sharp  encoun- 
ter, he  being  so  much  the  more  amazed  that  it  was 
unlooked  for  :  wherefore,  when  he  saw  these  carriers 
metamorphosed  into  warriors,  and  ready  to  assault  hixn, 
fearing  (that  which  was)  that  there  was  some  train  laid 
for  them,  he  turned  about  to  have  retired  into  the 
Castle  ;  but  there  also  he  met  with  his  enemies  ;  between 
which  two  companies  he  and  his  followers  were  slain, 
so  that  none  escaped  ;  the  Captain  afterwards  being 
searched,  they  found  (as  it  is  reported)  his  mistress's 


XXX  APPENDIX  TO 

letters  about  him.  Then  he  went  and  took  in  the 
Castle,  but  it  is  uncertain  (say  our  writers)  whether  by 
force  or  composition  ;  but  it  seems  that  the  Constable, 
and  those  that  were  within,  have  yielded  it  up  without 
force  ;  in  regard  that  he  used  them  so  gently,  which  he 
would  not  have  done  if  he  had  taken  it  at  utterance. 
For  he  sent  them  all  safe  home  to  the  Lord  Clifford, 
and  gave  them  also  provision  and  money  for  their 
entertainment  by  the  way.  The  Castle,  which  he  had 
burnt  only  before,  now  he  razeth,  and  casts  down  the 
walls  thereof  to  the  ground.  By  these  and  the  like 
proceedings,  within  a  short  while  he  freed  Douglasdale, 
Attrick  Forest,  and  Jedward  Forest,  of  the  English 
garrisons  and  subjection.  —  Ibid.  p.  29. 


No.  II. 

[Extracts  from  The  Bruce.  —  '*  Liber  compositus 
per  Magistrum  Johannem  Barber,  Archidiaconnum 
Abyrdonensem,  de  gestis,  bellis,  et  virtutibus, 
Domini  Roberti  Brwyss,  Begis  Scocie  illustrissimi, 
et  de  conquestu  regni  Scocie  per  eundem,  et  de 
Domino  Jacobo  de  Douglas. " —  Edited  by  John 
Jamieson,  D.D.,  F.R.S.E.,  &c.  «&c.  Edinburgh, 
1820.] 

Now  takis  James  his  wiage 
Towart  Dowglas,  his  heretage. 
With  twa  yemen,  for  owtyn  ma; 
That  wes  a  symple  stuff  to  ta, 
A  land  or  a  castell  to  win. 
The  quhethir  he  yarnyt  to  begyn 
Till  bring  purposs  till  ending; 
For  gud  help  is  in  gud  begynnyng, 


INTRODUCTION. 

For  gud  begynnyng,  and  hardy, 
Gyff  it  be  folowit  wittily, 
May  ger  oftsyss  unlikly  thing 
Cum  to  full  conabill  ending. 
Swa  did  it  here :  but  he  wes  wyss 
And  saw  he  mycht,  on  nakyn  wyss, 
Werray  his  fa  with  evyn  mycht; 
Tharfor  he  thocht  to  wyrk  with  slycht. 
And  in  Dowglas  daile,  his  countre. 
Upon  an  evynnyng  entrj'-t  he. 
And  than  a  man  wonnyt  tharby. 
That  was  off  freyndis  weill  mychty, 
And  ryche  of  moble,  and  off  cateill; 
And  had  bene  till  his  fadyr  leyll; 
And  till  him  selff,  in  his  yowthed, 
He  haid  done  mony  a  thankfull  deid. 
Thom  Dicson  wes  his  name  perfay. 
Till  him  he  send;  and  gan  him  pray. 
That  he  wald  cum  all  anerly 
For  to  spek  with  him  priuely. 
And  he  but  daunger  till  him  gais : 
Bot  fra  he  tauld  him  quhat  he  wais, 
He  gret  for  joy,  and  for  pite; 
And  him  rycht  till  his  houss  had  hej 
Quhar  in  a  chambre  priuely 
He  held  him,  and  his  cumpany. 
That  nane  had  off  him  persaving. 
Off  mete,  and  drynk,  and  othyr  thing. 
That  mycht  thaim  eyss,  thai  had  plente. 
Sa  wrocht  he  thorow  sutelte. 
That  all  the  lele  men  off  that  land. 
That  with  his  fadyr  war  duelland. 
This  gud  man  gert  cum,  ane  and  ane. 
And  mak  him  manrent  euir  ilkane; 
And  he  him  selff  fyrst  homage  maid. 
Dowglas  in  part  gret  glaidschip  haid. 


XXXI 


APPENDIX  TO 

That  the  gud  men  off  his  cuntre 
Wald  swagate  till  him  bundyn  he. 
He  speryt  the  conwyne  off  the  land, 
And  quha  the  castell  had  in  hand. 
And  thai  him  tauld  all  halily; 
And  syne  amang  them  priuely 
Thai  ordanyt,  that  he  still  suld  be 
In  hiddillis,  and  in  priwete, 
Till  Palme  Sonday,  that  wes  ner  hand^ 
The  thrid  day  eftyr  folowand. 
For  than  the  folk  off  that  countre 
Assemblyt  at  the  kyrk  wald  be; 
And  thai,  that  in  the  castell  wer, 
Wald  als  be  thar,  thar  palmy s  to  ber, 
As  folk  that  had  na  dreid  off  ill; 
For  thai  thoucht  all  wes  at  thair  will. 
Than  suld  he  cum  with  his  twa  men. 
Bot,  for  that  men  suld  nocht  him  ken, 
He  suld  ane  mantill  haiff  auld  and  bar, 
And  a  flaill,  as  he  a  thresscher  war. 
Undyr  the  mantill  nocht  for  thi 
He  suld  be  armyt  priuely. 
And  quhen  the  men  off  his  countre, 
That  suld  all  boune  befor  him  be. 
His  ensenye  mycht  her  hym  cry. 
Then  suld  thai,  full  enforcely, 
Kycht  ymyddys  the  kyrk  assaill 
The  Ingliss  men  with  hard  bataill 
Swa  that  nane  mycht  eschap  tham  fra; 
For  thar  throwch  trowyt  thai  to  ta 
The  castell,  that  besid  wes  ner. 
And  quhen  this,  that  I  tell  you  her, 
Wes  diuisj^t,  and  undertane, 
Ilkane  till  his  howss  hame  is  gane; 
And  held  this  spek  in  priuete, 
Till  the  day  off  thar  assembly. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  folk  upon  the  Sonounday 
Held  to  Saynct  Bridis  kyrk  thair  way; 
And  tha  that  in  the  castell  war 
Ischyt  owt,  bath  les  and  mar, 
And  went  thair  palmys  for  to  ber; 
Owtane  a  cuk  and  a  porter. 
James  off  Dowglas  off  thair  cummyng, 
And  quhat  thai  war,  had  witting; 
And  sped  him  till  the  kyrk  in  hy. 
Bot  or  he  come,  too  hastily 
Ane  off  his  criyt,  ^^ Dowglas!  Dowglas!  *' 
Thomas  Dikson,  that  nerrest  was 
Till  thaim  that  war  off  the  castell. 
That  war  all  innouth  the  chancell, 
Quhen  he  ^^  Dowglas  !  "  swa  hey  herd  cry, 
Drew  owt  his  swerd;  and  fellely 
E/Uschyt  amang  thaim  to  and  fra. 
Bot  ane  or  twa,  for  owtyn  ma. 
Than  in  hy  war  left  lyand, 
Quhill  Dowglas  come  rycht  at  hand, 
And  then  enforcyt  on  thaim  the  cry. 
Bot  thai  the  chansell  sturdely 
Held,  and  thaim  defendyt  wele, 
Till  off  thair  men  war  slayne  sumdell. 
Bot  the  Dowglace  sa  weill  him  bar, 
That  all  the  men,  that  with  him  war. 
Had  comfort  off  his  wele  dojmg; 
And  he  him  sparyt  nakyn  thing, 
Bot  provyt  swa  his  force  in  fycht, 
That  throw  his  worschip,  and  his  mycht, 
His  men  sa  keynly  helpyt  than. 
That  thai  the  chansell  on  thaim  wan. 
Than  dang  thai  on  swa  hardy ly. 
That  in  schort  t3^me  men  mycht  se  ly 
The  twa  part  dede,  or  then  deand. 
The  lave  war  sesyt  sone  in  hand, 
c 


APPENDIX  TO 

Swa  that  off  thretty  levyt  nane, 

That  thai  ne  war  slayne  ilkan,  or  tane. 

James  off  Dowglas,  quhen  this  wes  done, 
The  presoneris  has  he  tane  alsone; 
And,  with  thaim  off  his  cumpany, 
Towart  the  castell  went  in  h}?-, 
Or  noyiss,  or  cry,  suld  ryss. 
And  for  he  wald  thaim  sone  suppriss, 
That  levyt  in  the  castell  war, 
That  war  hut  twa  for  owtyn  mar, 
Fyve  men  or  sex  hefor  send  he, 
That  fand  all  opyn  the  entre  ; 
And  entryt,  and  the  porter  tuk 
Rycht  at  the  gate,  and  syne  the  cuk. 
With  that  Dowglas  come  to  the  gat, 
And  entryt  in  for  owtyn  debate  ; 
And  fand  the  mete  all  redy  grathit. 
With  biirdj^s  set,  and  clathis  lay  it. 
The  gaitis  then  he  gert  sper, 
And  sat,  and  eyt  all  at  la3^ser. 
Syne  all  the  gudis  turssyt  thai 
That  thaim  thocht  thai  mycht  haiff  away  ; 
And  namly  wapnys,  and  armyng, 
Siluer,  and  tresour,  and  clethyng. 
Vyctallis,  that  mycht  nocht  tursyt  be, 
On  this  maner  destroyit  he. 
All  the  victalis,  owtane  salt, 
Als  quheyt,  and  flour,  and  meill,  and  malt 
In  the  wyne  sellar  gert  he  bring  ; 
And  samyn  on  the  flur  all  flyng. 
And  the  presoneris  that  he  had  tane 
Rycht  thar  in  gert  he  heid  ilkaue  ; 
Syne  off  the  townnys  he  hedis  outstrak  : 
A  foule  melle  thar  gane  he  mak. 
For  meile,  and  malt,  and  blud,  and  wyne, 


INTRODUCTION.  xxxv 

Ran  all  to  gidder  in  a  mellyne, 

That  was  unsemly  for  to  se. 

Tharfor  the  men  off  that  countre 

For  swa  fele  thar  mellyt  wer, 

Callit  it  the  ^'  Dowglas  Lardner." 

Syne  tuk  he  salt,  as  Ic  hard  tell, 

And  ded  horss,  and  sordid  the  well  j 

And  brynt  all,  owtakyn  stane  ; 

And  is  forth,  with  his  menye,  gayne 

Till  his  resett  ;  for  him  thoucht  weill, 

Giff  he  had  haldyn  the  castell. 

It  had  bene  assegyt  raith  j 

And  that  him  thoucht  to  mekill  waith. 

For  he  ne  had  hop  off  reskewyng. 

And  it  is  to  peralons  thing 

In  castell  assegyt  to  be, 

Quhar  want  is  off  thir  thingis  thre  ; 

Victaill,  or  men  with  thair  armyng, 

Or  than  gud  hop  off  rescuyng. 

And  for  he  dred  thir  thingis  suld  faile, 

He  chesyt  furthwart  to  trawaill, 

Quhar  he  mycht  at  his  larges  be  ; 

And  swa  dryve  furth  his  destane. 

On  this  wise  wes  the  castell  tan, 
And  slayne  that  war  tharin  ilkan. 
The  Dowglas  syne  all  his  menye 
Gert  in  ser  placis  depertyt  be  ; 
For  men  suld  wyt  quhar  thai  war, 
That  yeid  depertyt  her  and  thar. 
Thaim  that  war  woundyt  gert  he  ly 
In  till  hiddillis,  all  priuely  ;  i 

And  gert  gud  leechis  till  thaim  bring 
Quhill  that  thai  war  in  till  heling. 
And  him  selff,  with  a  few  menye, 
Quhile  ane,  quhile  twa,  and  quhile  thre, 


xxxvi  APPENDIX  TO 

And  umquliill  all  him  allane, 
In  hiddillis  throw  the  land  is  gane. 
Sa  dred  he  Inglis  men  his  mycht, 
That  he  durst  nocht  wele  cum  in  sycht. 
For  thai  war  that  tyme  all  weldand 
As  maist  lordis,  our  all  the  land. 

Bot  tythandis,  that  scalis  sone, 
Off  this  deid  that  Dowglas  has  done, 
Come  to  the  Cliffurd  his  ere,  in  hy, 
That  for  his  tynsaill  wes  sary  ; 
And  menyt  his  men  that  thai  had  slayne, 
And  syne  has  to  purpos  tane, 
To  big  the  castell  up  agayne. 
Thar  for,  as  man  of  mekill  mayne, 
He  assemblit  gret  cumpany. 
And  till  Dowglas  he  went  in  hy. 
And  biggyt  wp  the  castell  swyth  ; 
And  maid  it  rycht  stalwart  and  styth 
And  put  tharin  victallis  and  men. 
Ane  off  the  Thyrwallys  then 
He  left  behind  him  Capitane, 
And  syne  till  Ingland  went  agayne. 

Book  IV.  V.  255-460. 


Bot  yeit  than  James  of  Dowglas 
In  Dowglas  Daile  travailland  was  ; 
Or  ellys  weill  ner  hand  tharby, 
In  hyddillys  sumdeill  priuely. 
For  he  wald  se  his  gouernyng, 
llThat  had  the  castell  in  keping  : 
And  gert  mak  mony  juperty, 
To  se  quhethyr  he  wald  ische  blythly. 
And  quhen  he  persavyt  that  he 
Wald  blythly  ische  with  his  menye, 


INTRODUCTION. 

He  maid  a  gadring  priuely 
Off  thaim  that  war  on  his  party  ; 
That  war  sa  fele,  that  thai  durst  fycht 
With  Thyrwall,  and  all  the  mycht 
Off  thaim  that  in  the  castell  war. 
He  schupe  him  in  the  nycht  to  far 
To  Sandylandis  :  and  thar  ner  by 
He  him  enbuschyt  priuely, 
And  send  a  few  a  trane  to  ma  ; 
That  sone  in  the  mornyng  gan  ga, 
And  tuk  catell,  that  wes  the  castell  by, 
And  syne  withdrew  thaim  hastely 
Towart  thaim  that  enbuschit  war. 
Than  Thyrwall,  for  owtyn  mar, 
Gert  arme  his  men,  forowtyn  baid; 
And  ischy t  with  all  the  men  he  haid : 
And  folowyt  fast  eftir  the  cry. 
He  wes  armyt  at  poynt  clenly, 
Owtane  [that]  his  hede  wes  bar. 
Than,  with  the  men  that  with  him  war, 
The  catell  folowit  he  gud  speid, 
E-ycht  as  a  man  that  had  na  dreid, 
Till  that  he  gat  off  thaim  a  sycht. 
Than  prekyt  thai  with  all  thar  mycht, 
Folowand  thaim  owt  off  aray ; 
And  thai  sped  thaim  fleand,  quhill  thai 
Fer  by  thair  buschement  war  past : 
And  Thyrwall  ay  chassyt  fast. 
And  than  thai  that  enbuschyt  war 
Ischyt  till  him,  bath  les  and  mar, 
And  rayssyt  sudanly  the  cry. 
And  thai  that  saw  sa  sudanly 
That  folk  come  egyrly  prikand 
Rycht  betuix  thaim  and  thair  warand, 
Thai  war  in  to  full  gret  effray. 
And,  for  thai  war  owt  off  aray, 


XXXVll 


xxxviii         APPENDIX  TO  INTRODUCTION. 

Sum  off  thaim  fled,  and  sum  abad. 
And  Dowglas,  that  thar  with  him  had 
A  gret  mengye,  full  egrely 
Assay lyt,  and  scalyt  thaim  hastyly: 
And  in  schort  tyme  ourraid  thaim  swa, 
That  weile  nane  eschapyt  thaim  fra. 
Thyrwall,  that  wes  thair  capitane, 
Wes  thar  in  the  bargane  slane  : 
And  off  his  men  the  mast  party. 
The  lave  fled  full  effraytly. 

Book  V.  V.  7-62. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 


CHAPTER  L 

Hosts  have  been  known  at  that  dread  sound  to  yield. 
And,  Douglas  dead,  his  name  hath  won  the  field. 

John  Home. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  an  early  spring  day,  when 
nature,  in  a  cold  province  of  Scotland,  was  reviving 
from  her  winter's  sleep,  and  the  air  at  least, 
though  not  the  vegetation,  gave  promise  of  an 
abatement  of  the  rigour  of  the  season,  that  two 
travellers,  whose  appearance  at  that  early  period 
sufficiently  announced  their  wandering  character, 
which,  in  general,  secured  a  free  passage  even 
through  a  dangerous  country,  were  seen  coming 
from  the  south-westward,  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  Castle  of  Douglas,  and  seemed  to  be  holding 
their  course  in  the  direction  of  the  river  of  that 
name,  whose  dale  afforded  a  species  of  approach  to 
that  memorable  feudal  fortress.  The  stream,  small 
in  comparison  to  the  extent  of  its  fame,  served  as 
a  kind  of  drain  to  the  country  in  its  neighbour- 
hood, and  at  the  same  time  afforded  the  means  of 
a  rough  road  to  the  castle  and  village.  The  high 
lords  to  whom  the  castle  had  for  ages  belonged 
might,  had  they  chosen,  have  made  this  access  a 
great   deal   smoother   and   more   convenient;    but 

1 


2  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

there  had  been  as  yet  little  or  no  exercise  for  those 
geniuses,  who  have  taught  all  the  world  that  it  is 
better  to  take  the  more  circuitous  road  round  the 
base  of  a  hill  than  the  direct  course  of  ascending 
it  on  the  one  side,  and  descending  it  directly  on 
the  other,  without  yielding  a  single  step  to  render 
the  passage  more  easy  to  the  traveller;  still  less 
were  those  mysteries  dreamed  of  which  MacAdam 
has  of  late  days  expounded.  But,  indeed,  to  what 
purpose  should  the  ancient  Douglases  have  em- 
ployed his  principles,  even  if  they  had  known 
them  in  ever  so  much  perfection?  Wheel-car- 
riages, except  of  the  most  clumsy  description,  and 
for  the  most  simple  operations  of  agriculture,  were 
totally  unknown.  Even  the  most  delicate  female 
had  no  resource  save  a  horse,  or,  in  case  of  sore 
infirmity,  a  litter.  The  men  used  their  own 
sturdy  limbs,  or  hardy  horses,  to  transport  them- 
selves from  place  to  place ;  and  travellers,  females 
in  particular,  experienced  no  small  inconvenience 
from  the  rugged  nature  of  the  country.  A  swollen 
torrent  sometimes  crossed  their  path,  and  com- 
pelled them  to  wait  until  the  waters  had  abated 
their  frenzy.  The  bank  of  a  small  river  was 
occasionally  torn  away  by  the  effects  of  a  thunder- 
storm, a  recent  inundation,  or  the  like  convulsions 
of  nature ;  and  the  wayfarer  relied  upon  his  know- 
ledge of  the  district,  or  obtained  the  best  local 
information  in  his  power,  how  to  direct  his  path 
so  as  to  surmount  such  untoward  obstacles. 

The  Douglas  issues  from  an  amphitheatre  of 
mountains  which  bounds  the  valley  to  the  south- 
west, from  whose  contributions,  and  the  aid  of 
sudden  storms,  it  receives  its  scanty  supplies. 
The  general  aspect  of  the  country  is  that  of   the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  3 

pastoral  hills  of  the  south  of  Scotland,  forming,  as 
is  usual,  bleak  and  wild  farms,  many  of  which 
had,  at  no  great  length  of  time  from  the  date  of 
the  story,  been  covered  with  trees ;  as  some  of 
them  still  attest  by  bearing  the  name  of  shaw  — 
that  is,  wild  natural  wood.  The  neighbourhood  of 
the  Douglas  water  itself  was  flat  land,  capable  of 
bearing  strong  crops  of  oats  and  rye,  supplying 
the  inhabitants  with  what  they  required  of  these 
productions.  At  no  great  distance  from  the  edge 
of  the  river,  a  few  special  spots  excepted,  the  soil 
capable  of  agriculture  was  more  and  more  mixed 
with  the  pastoral  and  woodland  country,  till  both 
terminated  in  desolate  and  partly  inaccessible 
moorlands. 

Above  all,  it  was  war-time,  and  of  necessity  all 
circumstances  of  mere  convenience  were  obliged  to 
give  way  to  a  paramount  sense  of  danger;  the 
inhabitants,  therefore,  instead  of  trying  to  amend 
the  paths  which  connected  them  with  ©ther  dis- 
tricts, were  thankful  that  the  natural  difficulties 
which  surrounded  them  rendered  it  unnecessary  to 
break  up  or  to  fortify  the  access  from  more  open 
countries.  Their  wants,  with  a  very  few  exceptions, 
were  completely  supplied,  as  we  have  already  said, 
by  the  rude  and  scanty  produce  of  their  own  moun- 
tains and  holms,^  the  last  of  which  served  for  the 
exercise  of  their  limited  agriculture,  while  the 
better  part  of  the  mountains  and  forest  glens  pro- 
duced pasture  for  their  herds  and  flocks.  The 
recesses  of  the  unexplored  depths  of  these  sylvan 
retreats  being  seldom  disturbed,  especially  since 
the  lords  of  the  district  had  laid  aside,  during  this 

1  Holms,  or  flat  plains,  by  the  sides  of  the  brooks  and  rivers, 
termed  in  the  south,  Ings. 


4  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

time  of  strife,  their  constant  occupation  of  hunting, 
the  various  kinds  of  game  had  increased  of  late 
very  considerably ;  so  that  not  only  in  crossing  the 
rougher  parts  of  the  hilly  and  desolate  country 
we  are  describing,  different  varieties  of  deer  were 
occasionally  seen,  but  even  the  wild  cattle  pecu- 
liar to  Scotland  sometimes  showed  themselves, 
and  other  animals,  which  indicated  the  irregular 
and  disordered  state  of  the  period.  The  wild  cat 
was  frequently  surprised  in  the  dark  ravines  or 
the  swampy  thickets ;  and  the  wolf,  already  a 
stranger  to  the  more  populous  districts  of  the 
Lothians,  here  maintained  his  ground  against  the 
encroachments  of  man,  and  was  still  himself  a 
terror  to  those  by  whom  he  was  finally  to  be  ex- 
tirpated. In  winter  especially,  and  winter  was 
hardly  yet  past,  these  savage  animals  were  wont 
to  be  driven  to  extremity  for  lack  of  food,  and 
used  to  frequent,  in  dangerous  numbers,  the  battle- 
field, the  deserted  churchyard  —  nay,  sometimes 
the  abodes  of  living  men,  there  to  watch  for  chil- 
dren, their  defenceless  prey,  with  as  much  fami- 
liarity as  the  fox  nowadays  will  venture  to  prowl 
near  the  mistress's  ^  poultry -yard. 

From  what  we  have  said,  our  readers,  if  they 
have  made  —  as  who  in  these  days  has  not  ?  —  the 
Scottish  tour,  will  be  able  to  form  a  tolerably  just 
idea  of  the  wilder  and  upper  part  of  Douglas  Dale, 
during  the  earlier  period  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
The  setting  sun  cast  his  gleams  along  a  moorland 
country,  which  to  the  westward  broke  into  larger 
swells,  terminating  in  the  mountains  called  the 
Larger  and  Lesser  Cairntable.     The  first  of  these 

1  The  good  dame,  or  wife  of  a  respectable  farmer,  is  almost 
universally  thus  designated  in  Scotland. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  5 

is,  as  it  were,  the  father  of  the  hills  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, the  source  of  an  hundred  streams,  and 
by  far  the  largest  of  the  ridge,  still  holding  in  his 
dark  bosom,  and  in  the  ravines  with  which  his 
sides  are  ploughed,  considerable  remnants  of  those 
ancient  forests  with  which  all  the  high  grounds  of 
that  quarter  were  once  covered,  and  particularly 
the  hills,  in  which  the  rivers  —  both  those  which 
run  to  the  east  and  those  which  seek  the  west 
to  discharge  themselves  into  the  Solway  —  hide, 
like  so  many  hermits,  their  original  and  scanty 
sources. 

The  landscape  was  still  illuminated  by  the  re- 
flection of  the  evening  sun,  sometimes  thrown 
back  from  pool  or  stream ;  sometimes  resting  on 
grey  rocks,  huge  cumberers  of  the  soil,  which 
labour  and  agriculture  have  since  removed,  and 
sometimes  contenting  itself  with  gilding  the  banks 
of  the  stream,  tinged  alternately  grey,  green,  or 
ruddy,  as  the  ground  itself  consisted  of  rock,  or 
grassy  turf,  or  bare  earthen  mound,  or  looked  at 
a  distance  like  a  rampart  of  dark  red  porphyry. 
Occasionally,  too,  the  eye  rested  on  the  steep 
brown  extent  of  moorland,  as  the  sunbeam  glanced 
back  from  the  little  tarn  or  mountain  pool,  whose 
lustre,  like  that  of  the  eye  in  the  human  counte- 
nance, gives  a  life  and  vivacity  to  every  feature 
around. 

The  elder  and  stouter  of  the  two  travellers  whom 
we  have  mentioned  was  a  person  well,  and  even 
showily,  dressed,  according  to  the  finery  of  the 
times,  and  bore  at  his  back,  as  wandering  min- 
strels were  wont,  a  case,  containing  a  small  harp, 
rote,  or  viol,  or  some  such  species  of  musical 
instrument    for    accompanying    the    voice.       The 


6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

leather  case  announced  so  much,  although  it  pro- 
claimed not  the  exact  nature  of  the  instrument. 
The  colour  of  the  traveller's  doublet  was  blue,  and 
that  of  his  hose  violet,  with  slashes  which  showed 
a  lining  of  the  same  colour  with  the  jerkin.  A 
mantle  ought,  according  to  ordinary  custom,  to 
have  covered  this  dress ;  but  the  heat  of  J:he  sun, 
though  the  season  was  so  early,  had  induced  the 
wearer  to  fold  up  his  cloak  in  small  compass,  and 
form  it  into  a  bundle,  attached  to  the  shoulders 
like  the  military  greatcoat  of  the  infantry  soldier 
of  the  present  day.  The  neatness  with  which  it 
was  made  up  argued  the  precision  of  a  practised 
traveller,  who  had  been  long  accustomed  to  every 
resource  which  change  of  weather  required.  A 
great  profusion  of  narrow  ribands  or  points,  con- 
stituting the  loops  with  which  our  ancestors  con- 
nected their  doublet  and  hose,  formed  a  kind  of 
cordon,  composed  of  knots  of  blue  or  violet,  which 
surrounded  the  traveller's  person,  and  thus  assimi- 
lated in  colour  with  the  two  garments  which  it 
was  the  office  of  these  strings  to  combine.  The 
bonnet  usually  worn  with  this  showy  dress  was  of 
that  kind  with  which  Henry  the  Eighth  and  his 
son,  Edward  the  Sixth,  are  usually  represented. 
It  was  more  fitted,  from  the  gay  stuff  of  which  it 
was  composed,  to  appear  in  a  public  place,  than  to 
encounter  a  storm  of  rain.  It  was  parti-coloured, 
being  made  of  different  stripes  of  blue  and  violet ; 
and  the  wearer  arrogated  a  certain  degree  of  gen- 
tility to  himself,  by  wearing  a  plume  of  conside- 
rable dimensions  of  the  same  favourite  colours. 
The  features  over  which  this  feather  drooped  were 
in  no  degree  remarkable  for  peculiarity  of  expres- 
sion.    Yet  in  so  desolate  a  country  as  the  west  of 


The  Travellers, 
Drawn  and  Etched  by  H.  Macbeth-Raeburn. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  7 

Scotland,  it  would  not  have  been  easy  to  pass  the 
man  without  more  minute  attention  than  he  would 
have  met  with  where  there  was  more  in  the  cha- 
racter of  the  scenery  to  arrest  the  gaze  of  the 
passengers. 

A  quick  eye,  a  sociable  look,  seeming  to  say, 
"  Ay,  look  at  me,  I  am  a  man  worth  noticing,  and 
not  unworthy  your  attention,'*  carried  with  it, 
nevertheless,  an  interpretation  which  might  be 
thought  favourable  or  otherwise,  according  to  the 
character  of  the  person  whom  the  traveller  met. 
A  knight  or  soldier  would  merely  have  thought 
that  he  had  met  a  merry  fellow,  who  could  sing  a 
wild  song,  or  tell  a  wild  tale,  and  help  to  empty 
a  flagon,  with  all  the  accomplishments  necessary 
for  a  boon  companion  at  an  hostelry,  except  per- 
haps an  alacrity  at  defraying  his  share  of  the 
reckoning.  A  churchman,  on  the  other  hand, 
might  have  thought  he  of  the  blue  and  violet  was 
of  too  loose  habits,  and  accustomed  too  little  to 
limit  himself  within  the  boundaries  of  beseeming 
mirth,  to  be  fit  society  for  one  of  his  sacred  calling. 
Yet  the  Man  of  Song  had  a  certain  steadiness  of 
countenance,  which  seemed  fitted  to  hold  place  in 
scenes  of  serious  business  as  well  as  of  gaiety.  A 
wayfaring  passenger  of  wealth  (not  at  that  time 
a  numerous  class)  might  have  feared  in  him  a 
professional  robber,  or  one  whom  opportunity  was 
very  likely  to  convert  into  such ;  a  female  might 
have  been  apprehensive  of  uncivil  treatment;  and 
a  youth,  or  timid  person,  might  have  thought  of 
murder,  or  such  direful  doings.  Unless  privately 
armed,  however,  the  minstrel  was  ill  accoutred 
for  any  dangerous  occupation.  His  only  visible 
weapon  was  a  small  crooked  sword,  like  what  we 


8  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

now  call  a  hanger;  and  the  state  of  the  times 
would  have  justified  any  man,  however  peaceful 
his  intentions,  in  being  so  far  armed  against  the 
perils  of  the  road. 

If  a  glance  at  this  man  had  in  any  respect  pre- 
judiced him  in  the  opinion  of  those  whom  he  met 
on  his  journey,  a  look  at  his  companion  would,  so 
far  as  his  character  could  be  guessed  at  —  for  he 
was  closely  muffled  up  —  have  passed  for  an 
apology  and  warrant  for  his  associate.  The 
younger  traveller  was  apparently  in  early  youth, 
a  soft  and  gentle  boy,  whose  Sclavonic  gown,  the 
appropriate  dress  of  the  pilgrim,  he  wore  more 
closely  drawn  about  him  than  the  coldness  of  the 
weather  seemed  to  authorise  or  recommend.  His 
features,  imperfectly  seen  under  the  hood  of  his 
pilgrim's  dress,  were  prepossessing  in  a  high 
degree;  and  though  he  wore  a  walking  sword,  it 
seemed  rather  to  be  in  compliance  with  general 
fashion  than  from  any  violent  purpose  he  did  so. 
There  were  traces  of  sadness  upon  his  brow,  and 
of  tears  upon  his  cheeks ;  and  his  weariness  was 
such  as  even  his  rougher  companion  seemed  to 
sympathise  with,  while  he  privately  participated 
also  in  the  sorrow  which  left  its  marks  upon  a 
countenance  so  lovely.  They  spoke  together,  and 
the  elder  of  the  two,  while  he  assumed  the 
deferential  air  proper  to  a  man  of  inferior  rank 
addressing  a  superior,  showed,  in  tone  and  ges- 
ture, something  that  amounted  to  interest  and 
affection. 

"  Bertram,  my  friend, "  said  the  younger  of  the 
two,  "  how  far  are  we  still  from  Douglas  Castle  ? 
We  have  already  come  farther  than  the  twenty 
miles  which  thou  didst  say  was  the  distance  from 


'    CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  9 

Cammock  —  or  how  didst  thou  call  the  last  hostelry 
which  we  left  by  daybreak  ?  " 

"  Cumnock,  my  dearest  lady  —  I  beg  ten  thou- 
sand excuses  —  my  gracious  young  lord.  " 

"  Call  me  Augustine, "  replied  his  comrade,  "  if 
you  mean  to  speak  as  is  fittest  for  the  time. " 

"  Nay,  as  for  that, "  said  Bertram,  "  if  your  lady- 
ship can  condescend  to  lay  aside  your  quality,  my 
own  good  breeding  is  not  so  firmly  sewed  to  me 
but  that  I  can  doff  it,  and  resume  it  again  without 
its  losing  a  stitch ;  and  since  your  ladyship,  to 
whom  I  am  sworn  in  obedience,  is  pleased  to  com- 
mand that  I  should  treat  you  as  my  own  son, 
shame  it  were  to  me  if  I  were  not  to  show  you  the 
affection  of  a  father,  more  especially  as  I  may  well 
swear  my  great  oath,  that  I  owe  you  the  duty  of 
such,  though  well  I  wot  it  has,  in  our  case,  been 
the  lot  of  the  parent  to  be  maintained  by  the  kind- 
ness and  liberality  of  the  child ;  for  when  was  it 
that  I  hungered  or  thirsted,  and  the  hlack  stock  ^  of 
Berkley  did  not  relieve  my  wants  ?  " 

"  I  would  have  it  so, "  answered  the  young  pil- 
grim ;  "  I  would  have  it  so.  What  use  of  the 
mountains  of  beef,  and  the  oceans  of  beer,  which 
they  say  our  domains  produce,  if  there  is  a  hungry 
heart  among  our  vassalage,  or  especially  if  thou, 
Bertram,  who  hast  served  as  the  minstrel  of  our 
house  for  more  than  twenty  years,  shouldst  expe- 
rience such  a  feeling  ?  " 

"  Certes,  lady, "  answered  Bertram,  "  it  would  be 
like  the  catastrophe  which  is  told  of  the  Baron  of 
Fastenough,  when  his  last  mouse  was  starved  to 
death  in  the  very  pantry;  and  if  I  escape  this 

1  The  table  dormant,  which  stood  in  a  baron's  hall,  was  often 
BO  designated. 


10  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

journey  without  such  a  calamity,  I  shall  think 
myself  out  of  reach  of  thirst  or  famine  for  the 
whole  of  my  life. " 

"  Thou  hast  suffered  already  once  or  twice  by 
these  attacks,  my  poor  friend,"  said  the  lady. 

"  It  is  little, "  answered  Bertram,  "  anything 
that  I  have  suffered;  and  I  were  ungrateful  to 
give  the  inconvenience  of  missing  a  breakfast,  or 
making  an  untimely  dinner,  so  serious  a  name. 
But  then  I  hardly  see  how  your  ladyship  can 
endure  this  gear  much  longer.  You  must  yourself 
feel,  that  the  plodding  along  these  high  lands,  of 
which  the  Scots  give  us  such'  good  measure  in 
their  miles,  is  no  jesting  matter;  and  as  for 
Douglas  Castle,  why  it  is  still  three  good  miles 
off" 

"  The  question  then  is, "  quoth  the  lady,  heaving 
a  sigh,  "  what  we  are  to  do  when  we  have  so  far  to 
travel,  and  when  the  castle  gates  must  be  locked 
long  before  we  arrive  there  ? " 

"  For  that  I  will  pledge  my  word, "  answered 
Bertram.  "  The  gates  of  Douglas,  under  the  keep- 
ing of  Sir  John  de  Walton,  do  not  open  so  easily 
as  those  of  the  buttery  hatch  at  our  own  castle, 
when  it  is  well  oiled ;  and  if  your  ladyship  take 
my  advice,  you  will  turn  southward  ho!  and  in 
two  days  at  farthest  we  shall  be  in  a  land  where 
men's  wants  are  provided  for,  as  the  inns  proclaim 
it,  with  the  least  possible  delay,  and  the  secret  of 
this  little  journey  shall  never  be -known  to  living 
mortal  but  ourselves,  as  sure  as  I  am  sworn  min- 
strel and  man  of  faith.  " 

"  I  thank  thee  for  thy  advice,  mine  honest 
Bertram, "  said  the  lady,  "  but  I  cannot  profit  by 
it.     Should  thy  knowledge  of  these  parts  possess 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  ii 

thee  with  an  acquaintance  with  any  decent  house, 
whether  it  belong  to  rich  or  poor,  I  would  wil- 
lingly take  quarters  there,  if  I  could  obtain  them 
from  this  time  until  to-morrow  morning.  The 
gates  of  Douglas  Castle  will  then  be  open  to  guests 
of  so  peaceful  an  appearance  as  we  carry  with  us, 
and  —  and  —  it  will  out  —  we  might  have  time 
to  make  such  applications  to  our  toilet  as  might 
insure  us  a  good  reception,  by  drawing  a  comb 
through  our  locks,  or  such  like  foppery." 

"  Ah,  madam  I  "  said  Bertram,  "  were  not  Sir 
John  de  Walton  in  question,  methinks  I  should 
venture  to  reply,  that  an  unwashed  brow,  an  un- 
kempt head  of  hair,  and  a  look  far  more  saucy 
than  your  ladyship  ever  wears,  or  can  wear,  were 
the  proper  disguise  to  trick  out  that  minstrel's 
boy,  whom  you  wish  to  represent  in  the  present 
pageant. " 

"  Do  you  suffer  your  youthful  pupils  to  be  indeed 
so  slovenly  and  so  saucy,  Bertram  ?  "  answered  the 
lady.  "  I  for  one  will  not  imitate  them  in  that 
particular;  and  whether  Sir  John  be  now  in  the 
Castle  of  Douglas  or  not,  I  will  treat  the  soldiers 
who  hold  so  honourable  a  charge  with  a  washed 
brow,  and  a  head  of  hair  somewhat  ordered.  As 
for  going  back  without  seeing  a  castle  which  has 
mingled  even  with  my  very  dreams  —  at  a  word, 
Bertram,  thou  mayst  go  that  way,  but  I  will  not. " 

"  And  if  I  part  with  your  ladyship  on  such 
terms, "  responded  the  minstrel,  "  now  your  frolic 
is  so  nearly  accomplished,  it  shall  be  the  foul  fiend 
himself,  and  nothing  more  comely  or  less  dan- 
gerous, that  shall  tear  me  from  your  side ;  and  for 
lodging,  there  is  not  far  from  hence  the  house  of 
one  Tom  Dickson  of  Hazelside,   one  of  the  most 


12  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

honest  fellows  of  the  dale,  and  who,  although  a 
labouring  man,  ranked  as  high  as  a  warrior,  when 
I  was  in  this  country,  as  any  noble  gentleman  that 
rode  in  the  band  of  the  Douglas. " 

"  He  is,  then,  a  soldier  ?  "  said  the  lady. 

"  When  his  country  or  his  lord  need  his  sword," 
replied  Bertram  —  "  and,  to  say  the  truth,  they  are 
seldom  at  peace ;  but  otherwise,  he  is  no  enemy, 
save  to  the  wolf  which  plunders  his  herds. " 

"  But  forget  not,  my  trusty  guide, "  replied  the 
lady,  "  that  the  blood  in  our  veins  is  English,  and, 
consequently,  that  we  are  in  danger  from  all  who 
call  themselves  foes  to  the  ruddy  Cross. " 

"Do  not  fear  this  man's  faith,"  answered  Ber- 
tram. "  You  may  trust  to  him  as  to  the  best 
knight  or  gentleman  of  the  land.  We  may  make 
good  our  lodging  by  a  tune  or  a  song ;  and  it  may 
remember  you  that  I  undertook  (provided  it  pleased 
your  ladyship)  to  temporise  a  little  with  the  Scots, 
who,  poor  souls,  love  minstrelsy,  and  when  they 
have  but  a  silver  penny,  will  willingly  bestow  it 
to  encourage  the  gay  science  —  I  promised  you,  I 
say,  that  we  should  be  as  welcome  to  them  as  if 
we  had  been  born  amidst  their  own  wild  hills ; 
and  for  the  best  that  such  a  house  as  Dickson's 
affords,  the  gleeman's  son,  fair  lady,  shall  not 
breathe  a  wish  in  vain.  And  now,  will  you  speak 
your  mind  to  your  devoted  friend  and  adopted 
father,  or  rather  your  sworn  servant  and  guide, 
Bertram  the  Minstrel,  what  it  is  your  pleasure 
to  do  in  this  matter  ? " 

"  Oh,  we  will  certainly  accept  of  the  Scot's  hos- 
pitality, "  said  the  lady,  "  your  minstrel  word  being 
plighted  that  he  is  a  true  man.  —  Tom  Dickson, 
call  you  him  ?  " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  13 

"  Yes, "  replied  Bertram,  "  such  is  his  name ;  and 
by  looking  on  these  sheep,  I  am  assured  that  we 
are  now  upon  his  land. " 

"  Indeed !  "  said  the  lady,  with  some  surprise ; 
"  and  how  is  your  wisdom  aware  of  that  ?  " 

"  I  see  the  first  letter  of  his  name  marked  upon 
this  flock, "  answered  the  guide.  "  Ah,  learning  is 
what  carries  a  man  through  the  world,  as  well  as 
if  he  had  the  ring  by  virtue  of  which  old  min- 
strels tell  that  Adam  understood  the  language  of 
the  beasts  in  Paradise.  Ah,  madam!  there  is 
more  wit  taught  in  the  shepherd's  shieling  than 
the  lady  thinks  of,  who  sews  her  painted  seam  in 
her  summer  bower." 

"  Be  it  so,  good  Bertram.  And  although  not  so 
deeply  skilled  in  the  knowledge  of  written  lan- 
guage as  you  are,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  esteem 
its  value  more  than  I  actually  do ;  so  hold  we  on 
the  nearest  road  to  this  Tom  Dickson's,  whose 
very  sheep  tell  of  his  whereabout.  I  trust  we 
have  not  very  far  to  go,  although  the  knowledge 
that  our  journey  is  shortened  by  a  few  miles  has 
so  much  recovered  my  fatigue,  that  me  thinks  I 
could  dance  all  the  rest  of  the  way. " 


CHAPTER  11. 

Rosalind.     Well,  this  is  the  Forest  of  Arden. 

Touchstone.  Ay,  now  am  I  in  Arden ;  the  more  fool  I.  When 
I  was  at  home  I  was  in  a  better  place ;  but  travellers  must  be 
content. 

Rosalind.  Ay,  be  so,  good  Touchstone.  Look  you,  who  comes 
here ;  a  young  man  and  an  old,  in  solemn  talk. 

As  You  Like  It,  Scene  IV.  Act  11. 

As  the  travellers  spoke  together,  they  reached  a 
turn  of  the  path  which  presented  a  more  extensive 
prospect  than  the  broken  face  of  the  country  had 
yet  shown  them.  A  valley,  through  which  flowed 
a  small  tributary  stream,  exhibited  the  wild  but 
not  unpleasant  features  of  "  a  lone  vale  of  green 
braken ;  "  here  and  there  besprinkled  with  groups 
of  alder-trees,  of  hazels,  and  of  copse  oak-wood, 
which  had  maintained  their  stations  in  the  recesses 
of  the  valley,  although  they  had  vanished  from 
the  loftier  and  more  exposed  sides  of  the  hills. 
The  farm-house,  or  mansion-house  (for,  from  its 
size  and  appearance,  it  might  have  been  the  one  or 
the  other),  was  a  large  but  low  building,  and  the 
walls  of  the  out-houses  were  sufficiently  strong  to 
resist  any  band  of  casual  depredators.  There  was 
nothing,  however,  which  could  withstand  a  more 
powerful  force ;  for,  in  a  country  laid  waste  by 
war,  the  farmer  was  then,  as  now,  obliged  to  take 
his  chance  of  the  great  evils  attendant  upon  that 
Btate  of  things;   and  his  condition,  never  a  very 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  15 

eligible  one,  was  rendered  considerably  worse  by 
the  insecurity  attending  it.  About  half  a  mile 
farther  was  seen  a  Gothic  building  of  very  small 
extent,  having  a  half-dismantled  chapel,  which 
the  minstrel  pronounced  to  be  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Bride.  "  The  place, "  he  said,  "  I  understand,  is 
allowed  to  subsist,  as  two  or  three  old  monks  and 
as  many  nuns,  whom  it  contains,  are  permitted  by 
the  English  to  serve  God  there,  and  sometimes  to 
give  relief  to  Scottish  travellers ;  and  who  have 
accordingly  taken  assurance  with  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  and  accepted  as  their  superior  a  church- 
man on  whom  he  thinks  he  can  depend.  But  if 
these  guests  happen  to  reveal  any  secrets,  they  are, 
by  some  means  or  other,  believed  to  fly  towards 
the  English  governor;  and  therefore,  unless  your 
ladyship's  commands  be  positive,  I  think  we  had 
best  not  trust  ourselves  to  their  hospitality. " 

"  Of  a  surety,  no, "  said  the  lady,  "  if  thou  canst 
provide  me  with  lodgings  where  we  shall  have 
more  prudent  hosts. " 

At  this  moment,  two  human  forms  were  seen  to 
approach  the  farm-house  in  a  different  direction 
from  the  travellers,  and  speaking  so  high,  in  a 
tone  apparently  of  dispute,  that  the  minstrel  and 
his  companion  could  distinguish  their  voices 
though  the  distance  was  considerable.  Having 
screened  his  eyes  with  his  hand  for  some  minutes, 
Bertram  at  length  exclaimed,  "  By  Our  Lady,  it  is 
my  old  friend,  Tom  Dickson,  sure  enough  !  —  What 
can  make  him  in  such  bad  humour  with  the  lad, 
who,  I  think,  may  be  the  little  wild  boy,  his  son 
Charles,  who  used  to  run  about  and  plait  rushes 
some  twenty  years  ago  ?  It  is  lucky,  however,  we 
have  found  our  friends  astir;  for,  I  warrant,  Tom 


i6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

hath  a  hearty  piece  of  beef  in  the  pot  ere  he  goes 
to  bed,  and  he  must  have  changed  his  wont  if  an 
old  friend  hath  not  his  share;  and  who  knows, 
had  we  come  later,  at  what  hour  they  may  now 
find  it  convenient  to  drop  latch  and  draw  bolt  so 
near  a  hostile  garrison ;  for  if  we  call  things  by 
their  right  names,  such  is  the  proper  term  for 
an  English  garrison  in  the  castle  of  a  Scottish 
nobleman. " 

"  Foolish  man, "  answered  the  lady,  "  thou  judgest 
of  Sir  John  de  Walton  as  thou  wouldst  of  some 
rude  boor,  to  whom  the  opportunity  of  doing  what 
he  wills  is  a  temptation  and  licence  to  exercise 
cruelty  and  oppression.  Now,  I  could  plight  you 
my  word,  that,  setting  apart  the  quarrel  of  the 
kingdoms,  which,  of  course,  will  be  fought  out  in 
fair  battle  on  both  sides,  you  will  find  that  Eng- 
lish and  Scottish,  within  this  domain,  and  within 
the  reach  of  Sir  John  de  Walton's  influence,  live 
together  as  that  same  flock  of  sheep  and  goats  do 
with  the  shepherd's  dog;  a  foe  from  whom  they 
fly  upon  certain  occasions,  but  around  whom  they 
nevertheless  eagerly  gather  for  protection  should  a 
wolf  happen  to  show  himself. " 

"  It  is  not  to  your  ladyship, "  answered  Bertram, 
"  that  I  should  venture  to  state  my  opinion  of 
such  matters;  but  the  young  knight,  when  he  is 
sheathed  in  armour,  is  a  different  being  from  him 
who  feasts  in  halls  among  press  of  ladies ;  and  he 
that  feeds  by  another  man's  fireside,  and  when  his 
landlord,  of  all  men  in  the  world,  chances  to  be 
the  Black  Douglas,  has  reason  to  keep  his  eyes 
about  him  as  he  makes  his  meal :  —  but  it  were 
better  I  looked  after  our  own  evening  refreshment, 
than  that  I  stood  here  gaping  and  talking  about 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  17 

other  folk's  matters. "  So  saying,  he  called  out  in 
a  thundering  tone  of  voice,  "  Dickson !  —  what  ho, 
Thomas  Dickson !  —  will  you  not  acknowledge  an 
old  friend,  who  is  much  disposed  to  trust  his  sup- 
per and  night's  lodging  to  your  hospitality  ?  " 

The  Scotchman,  attracted  by  the  call,  looked 
first  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  then  upwards  to 
the  bare  side  of  the  hill,  and  at  length  cast  his 
eyes  upon  the  two  figures  who  were  descending 
from  it. 

As  if  he  felt  the  night  colder  while  he  advanced 
from  the  more  sheltered  part  of  the  valley  to  meet 
them,  the  Douglas  Dale  farmer  wrapped  closer 
around  him  the  grey  plaid,  which,  from  an  early 
period,  has  been  used  by  the  shepherds  of  the 
south  of  Scotland,  and  the  appearance  of  which 
gives  a  romantic  air  to  the  peasantry  and  middle 
classes ;  and  which,  although  less  brilliant  and 
gaudy  in  its  colours,  is  as  picturesque  in  its  ar- 
rangement as  the  more  military  tartan  mantle  of 
the  Highlands.  When  they  approached  near  to 
each  other,  the  lady  might  observe  that  this  friend 
of  her  guide  was  a  stout  athletic  man,  somewhat 
past  the  middle  of  life,  and  already  showing  marks 
of  the  approach,  but  none  of  the  infirmities,  of 
age,  upon  a  countenance  which  had  been  exposed 
to  many  a  storm.  Sharp  eyes,  too,  and  a  quick 
observation,  exhibited  signs  of  vigilance,  acquired 
by  one  who  had  lived  long  in  a  country  where  he 
had  constant  occasion  for  looking  around  him  with 
caution.  His  features  were  still  swollen  with 
displeasure ;  and  the  handsome  young  man  who 
attended  him  seemed  to  be  discontented,  like  one 
who  had  undergone  no  gentle  marks  of  his  father's 
indignation,  and  who,  from  the  sullen  expression 

2 


i8  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

which  mingled  with  an  appearance  of  shame  on 
his  countenance,  seemed  at  once  affected  by  anger 
and  remorse. 

"  Do  you  not  remember  me,  old  friend  ?  "  said 
Bertram,  as  they  approached  within  a  distance  for 
communing ;  "  or  have  the  twenty  years  which 
have  marched  over  us  since  we  met,  carried  along 
with  them  all  remembrance  of  Bertram,  the  Eng- 
lish minstrel  ?  " 

"  In  troth, "  answered  the  Scot,  "  it  is  not  for 
want  of  plenty  of  your  countrymen  to  keep  you  in 
my  remembrance,  and  I  have  hardly  heard  one  of 
them  so  much  as  whistle 

Hey,  now  the  day  dawns, 

but  it  has  recalled  some  note  of  your  blithe  rebeck ; 
and  yet  such  animals  are  we,  that  I  had  forgot  the 
mien  of  my  old  friend,  and  scarcely  knew  him  at 
a  distance.  But  we  have  had  trouble  lately ;  there 
are  a  thousand  of  your  countrymen  that  keep  gar- 
rison in  the  Perilous  Castle  of  Douglas  yonder,  as 
well  as  in  other  places  through  the  vale,  and  that 
is  but  a  woful  sight  for  a  true  Scotchman  —  even 
my  own  poor  house  has  not  escaped  the  dignity  of 
a  garrison  of  a  man-at-arms,  besides  two  or  three 
archer  knaves,  and  one  or  two  slips  of  mischievous 
boys  called  pages,  and  so  forth,  who  will  not  let  a 
man  say  'this  is  my  own'  by  his  own  fireside.  Do 
not,  therefore,  think  hardly  of  me,  old  comrade,  if 
I  show  you  a  welcome  something  colder  than  you 
might  expect  from  a  friend  of  other  days ;  for,  by 
St.  Bride  of  Douglas,  I  have  scarcely  anything  left 
to  which  I  can  say  welcome. " 

"  Small  welcome  will  serve, "  said  Bertram. 
"  My  son,  make  thy  reverence  to  thy  father's  old 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  19 

friend.  Augustine  is  learning  my  joyous  trade, 
but  he  will  need  some  practice  ere  he  can  endure 
its  fatigues.  If  you  could  give  him  some  little 
matter  of  food,  and  a  quiet  bed  for  the  night, 
there's  no  fear  but  that  we  shall  both  do  well 
enough ;  for  I  dare  say  when  you  travel  with  my 
friend  Charles  there  —  if  that  tall  youth  chance  to 
be  my  old  acquaintance  Charles  —  you  will  find 
yourself  accommodated  when  his  wants  are  once 
well  provided  for. " 

"  Nay,  the  foul  fiend  take  me  if  I  do, "  answered 
the  Scottish  husbandman.  "  I  know  not  what  the 
lads  of  this  day  are  made  of  —  not  of  the  same 
clay  as  their  fathers  to  be  sure  —  not  sprung  from 
the  heather,  which  fears  neither  wind  nor  rain, 
but  from  some  delicate  plant  of  a  foreign  country, 
which  will  not  thrive  unless  it  be  nourished  under 
glass,  with  a  murrain  to  it.  The  good  Lord  of 
Douglas  —  I  have  been  his  henchman,  and  can 
vouch  for  it  —  did  not  in  his  pagehood  desire  such 
food  and  lodging  as,  in  the  present  day,  will  hardly 
satisfy  such  a  lad  as  your  friend  Charles. " 

"Nay,"  said  Bertram,  "it  is  not  that  my 
Augustine  is  over  nice ;  but,  for  other  reasons,  I 
must  request  of  you  a  bed  to  himself ;  he  hath  of 
late  been  unwell. " 

"  Ay,  I  understand, "  said  Dickson,  "  your  son 
hath  had  a  touch  of  that  illness  which  terminates 
so  frequently  in  the  black  death  you  English  folk 
die  of  ?  We  hear  much  of  the  havoc  it  has  made 
to  the  southward.     Comes  it  hitherward  ?  ** 

Bertram  nodded. 

"Well,  my  father's  house,"  continued  the 
farmer,  "  hath  more  rooms  than  one,  and  your  son 
shall  have  one  well-aired  and  comfortable ;  and  for 


20  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

supper,  ye  shall  have  a  part  of  what  is  prepared 
for  your  countrymen,  though  I  would  rather  have 
their  room  than  their  company.  Since  I  am  bound 
to  feed  a  score  of  them,  they  will  not  dispute  the 
claim  of  such  a  skilful  minstrel  as  thou  art  to  a 
night's  hospitality.  I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  I 
must  do  their  bidding  even  in  my  own  house. 
Well-a-day,  if  my  good  lord  were  in  possession  of 
his  own,  I  have  heart  and  hand  enough  to  turn  the 
whole  of  them  out  of  my  house,  like  —  like  " 

"  To  speak  plainly, "  said  Bertram,  "  like  a 
southron  strolling  gang  from  Eedesdale,  whom  I 
have  seen  you  fling  out  of  your  house  like  a  litter 
of  blind  puppies,  when  not  one  of  them  looked 
behind  to  see  who  had  done  him  the  courtesy  until 
he  was  halfway  to  Cairntable.  " 

"  Ay, "  answered  the  Scotchman,  'drawing  him- 
self up  at  least  six  inches  taller  than  before ;  "  then 
I  had  a  house  of  my  own,  and  a  cause  and  an  arm 
to  keep  it.  Now  I  am  —  what  signifies  it  what 
I  am  ?  —  the  noblest  lord  in  Scotland  is  little 
better. " 

"  Truly,  friend, "  said  Bertram,  "  now  you  view 
this  matter  in  a  rational  light.  I  do  not  say  that 
the  wisest,  the  richest,  or  the  strongest  man  in 
this  world  has  any  right  to  tyrannise  over  his 
neighbour,  because  he  is  the  more  weak,  ignorant, 
and  the  poorer ;  but  yet  if  he  does  enter  into  such 
a  controversy,  he  must  submit  to  the  course  of 
nature,  and  that  will  always  give  the  advan- 
tage in  the  tide  of  battle  to  wealth,  strength, 
and  health. " 

"  With  permission,  however, "  answered  Dickson, 
"  the  weaker  party,  if  he  use  his  faculties  to  the 
utmost,  may,  in  the  long- run,  obtain  revenge  upon 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  21 

the  author  of  his  sufiferings,  which  would  be  at 
least  compensation  for  his  temporary  submission ; 
and  he  acts  simply  as  a  man,  and  most  foolishly 
as  a  Scotchman,  whether  he  sustain  these  wrongs 
with  the  insensibility  of  an  idiot,  or  whether  he 
endeavour  to  revenge  them  before  Heaven's  ap- 
pointed time  has  arrived.  —  But  if  I  talk  thus,  I 
shall  scare  you,  as  I  have  scared  some  of  your 
countrymen,  from  accepting  a  meal  of  meat,  and  a 
night's  lodging,  in  a  house  where  you  might  be 
called  with  the  morning  to  a  bloody  settlement  of 
a  national  quarrel. " 

"  Never  mind, "  said  Bertram,  "  we  have  been 
known  to  each  other  of  old;  and  I  am  no  more 
afraid  of  meeting  unkindness  in  your  house,  than 
you  expect  me  to  come  here  for  the  purpose  of 
adding  to  the  injuries  of  which  you  complain. " 

"  So  be  it, "  said  Dickson ;  "  and  you,  my  old 
friend,  are  as  welcome  to  my  abode  as  when  it 
never  held  any  guest  save  of  my  own  inviting.  — 
And  you,  my  young  friend,  Master  Augustine, 
shall  be  looked  after  as  well  as  if  you  came  with  a 
gay  brow  and  a  light  cheek,  such  as  best  becomes 
the  gay  science." 

"  But  wherefore,  may  I  ask, "  said  Bertram,  "  so 
much  displeased  but  now  at  my  young  friend 
Charles  ? " 

The  youth  answered  before  his  father  had  time 
to  speak.  "  My  father,  good  sir,  may  put  what 
show  upon  it  he  will,  but  shrewd  and  wise  men 
wax  weak  in  the  brain  in  these  troublous  times. 
He  saw  two  or  three  wolves  seize  upon  three  of  out 
choicest  wethers ;  and  because  I  shouted  to  give 
the  alarm  to  the  English  garrison,  he  was  angry 
as  if  he  could  have  murdered  me  —  just  for  saving 


22  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  sheep  from  the  jaws  that  would  have  devoured 
them. " 

"  This  is  a  strange  account  of  thee,  old  friend, " 
said  Bertram.  "  Dost  thou  connive  with  the 
wolves  in  robbing  thine  own  fold  ? " 

"  Why,  let  it  pass  if  thou  lovest  me, "  answered 
the  countryman ;  "  Charles  could  tell  thee  some- 
thing nearer  the  truth  if  he  had  a  mind ;  but  for 
the  present  let  it  pass. " 

The  minstrel,  perceiving  that  the  Scotchman 
was  fretted  and  embarrassed  with  the  subject, 
pressed  it  no  further. 

At  this  moment,  in  crossing  the  threshold  of 
Thomas  Dickson's  house,  they  were  greeted  with 
sounds  from  two  English  soldiers  within.  "  Quiet, 
Anthony, "  said  one  voice  —  "  quiet,  man !  —  for 
the  sake  of  common  sense,  if  not  common  man- 
ners ;  —  Eobin  Hood  himself  never  sat  down  to  his 
board  ere  the  roast  was  ready. " 

"  Eeady !  "  quoth  another  rough  voice ;  "  it  is 
roasting  to  rags,  and  small  had  been  the  knave 
Dickson's  share,  even  of  these  rags,  had  it  not 
been  the  express  orders  of  the  worshipful  Sir  John 
de  Walton,  that  the  soldiers  who  lie  at  outposts 
should  afford  to  the  inmates  such  provisions  as  are 
not  necessary  for  their  own  subsistence. " 

"  Hush,  Anthony  —  hush,  for  shame !  "  replied 
his  fellow-soldier,  "  if  ever  I  heard  our  host's  step, 
I  heard  it  this  instant;  so  give  over  thy  grum- 
bling, since  our  captain,  as  we  all  know,  hath  pro- 
hibited, under  strict  penalties,  all  quarrels  between 
his  followers  and  the  people  of  the  country. " 

"  I  am  sure, "  replied  Anthony,  "  that  I  have 
ministered  occasion  to  none;  but  I  would  I  were 
equally  certain  of  the  good  meaning  of  this  sullen- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  23 

browed  Thomas  Dickson  towards  the  English 
soldiers,  for  I  seldom  go  to  bed  in  this  dungeon  of 
a  house,  but  I  expect  my  throat  will  gape  as  wide 
as  a  thirsty  oyster  before  I  awaken.  Here  he 
comes,  however,"  added  Anthony,  sinking  his 
sharp  tones  as  he  spoke ;  "  and  I  hope  to  be  excom- 
municated if  he  has  not  brought  with  him  that 
mad  animal,  his  son  Charles,  and  two  other  stran- 
gers, hungry  enough,  I'll  be  sworn,  to  eat  up  the 
whole  supper,  if  they  do  us  no  other  injury. " 

"  Shame  of  thyself,  Anthony, "  repeated  his 
comrade  ;  "  a  good  archer  thou  as  ever  wore  Kendal 
green,  and  yet  affect  to  be  frightened  for  two  tired 
travellers,  and  alarmed  for  the  inroad  their  hunger 
may  make  on  the  night's  meal.  There  are  four  or 
five  of  us  here  —  we  have  our  bows  and  our  bills 
within  reach,  and  scorn  to  be  chased  from  our 
supper,  or  cheated  out  of  our  share  of  it  by  a  dozen 
Scotchmen,  whether  stationary  or  strollers.  —  How 
say'st  thou?"  he  added,  turning  to  Dickson  — 
"  how  say  ye,  quartermaster  ?  It  is  no  secret  that, 
by  the  directions  given  to  our  post,  we  must  in- 
quire into  the  occupations  of  such  guests  as  you 
may  receive  besides  ourselves,  your  unwilling 
inmates ;  you  are  as  ready  for  supper,  I  warrant, 
as  supper  is  for  you,  and  I  will  only  delay  you 
and  my  friend  Anthony,  who  becomes  dreadfully 
impatient,  until  you  answer  two  or  three  questions 
which  you  wot  of.  " 

"  Bend-the-Bow, "  answered  Dickson,  "  thou  art 
a  civil  fellow ;  and  although  it  is  something  hard 
to  be  constrained  to  give  an  account  of  one's 
friends,  because  they  chance  to  quarter  in  one's 
own  house  for  a  night  or  two,  yet  I  must  submit 
to  the  times,  and  make  no  vain  opposition.     You 


24  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

may  mark  down  in  your  breviary  there,  that  upon 
the  fourteenth  day  before  Palm  Sunday,  Thomas 
Dickson  brought  to  his  house  of  Hazelside,  in 
which  you  hold  garrison,  by  orders  from  the  Eng- 
lish governor,  Sir  John  de  Walton,  two  strangers, 
to  whom  the  said  Thomas  Dickson  had  promised 
refreshment,  and  a  bed  for  the  evening,  if  it  be 
lawful  at  this  time  and  place. " 

"  But  what  are  they,  these  strangers  ?  "  said 
Anthony,   somewhat  sharply. 

"  A  fine  world  the  while, "  murmured  Thomas 
Dickson,  "  that  an  honest  man  should  be  forced  to 
answer  the  questions  of  every  paltry  companion !  " 
—  But  he  mitigated  his  voice  and  proceeded. 
"  The  eldest  of  my  guests  is  Bertram,  an  ancient 
English  minstrel,  who  is  bound  on  his  own  errand 
to  the  Castle  of  Douglas,  and  will  communicate 
what  he  has  to  say  of  news  to  Sir  John  de  Walton 
himself.  I  have  known  him  for  twenty  years, 
and  never  heard  anything  of  him  save  that  he  was 
good  man  and  true.  The  younger  stranger  is  his 
son,  a  lad  recovering  from  the  English  disorder, 
which  has  been  raging  far  and  wide  in  Westmore- 
land and  Cumberland. " 

"  Tell  me, "  said  Bend-the-Bow,  "  this  same 
Bertram,  was  he  not  about  a  year  since  in  the 
service  of  some  noble  lady  in  our  own  country  ? " 

"  I  have  heard  so, "    answered  Dickson. 

"  We  shall,  in  that  case,  I  think,  incur  little 
danger, "  replied  Bend-the-Bow,  "  by  allowing  this 
old  man  and  his  son  to  proceed  on  their  journey  to 
the  castle. " 

"  You  are  my  elder  and  my  better, "  answered 
Anthony ;  "  but  I  may  remind  you  that  it  is  not  so 
clearly  our  duty  to  give  free  passage,  into  a  garri- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  25 

son  of  a  thousand  men  of  all  ranks,  to  a  youth  who 
has  been  so  lately  attacked  by  a  contagious  dis- 
order ;  and  I  question  if  our  commander  would  not 
rather  hear  that  the  Black  Douglas,  with  a  hun- 
dred devils  as  black  as  himself,  since  such  is  his 
colour,  had  taken  possession  of  the  outpost  of 
Hazelside  with  sword  and  battle-axe,  than  that 
one  person  suffering  under  this  fell  sickness  had 
entered  peaceably,  and  by  the  opened  wicket  of 
the  castle. " 

"  There  is  something  in  what  thou  sayest, 
Anthony, "  replied  his  comrade ;  "  and  considering 
that  our  governor,  since  he  has  undertaken  the 
troublesome  job  of  keeping  a  castle  which  is 
esteemed  so  much  more  dangerous  than  any  other 
within  Scotland,  has  become  one  of  the  most  cau- 
tious and  jealous  men  in  the  world,  we  had  better, 
I  think,  inform  him  of  the  circumstance,  and  take 
his  commands  how  the  stripling  is  to  be  dealt 
with. " 

"  Content  am  I, "  said  the  archer ;  "  and  first, 
methinks,  I  would  just,  in  order  to  show  that 
we  know  what  belongs  to  such  a  case,  ask  the 
stripling  a  few  questions,  as  how  long  he  has 
been  ill,  by  what  physicians  he  has  been  at- 
tended, when  he  was  cured,  and  how  his  cure  is 
certified,  &c. " 

"True,  brother,"  said  Bend-the-Bow.  "Thou 
hearest,  minstrel, 'we  would  ask  thy  son  some 
questions  —  What  has  become  of  him  ?  —  he  was 
in  this  apartment  but  now. " 

"So  please  you,"  answered  Bertram,  "he  did 
but  pass  through  the  apartment.  Mr.  Thomas 
Dickson,  at  my  entreaty,  as  well  as  in  respectful 
reverence  to  your  honour's   health,    carried   him 


26  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

through  the  room  without  tarriance,  judging  his 
own  bed-chamber  the  fittest  place  for  a  young  man 
recovering  from  a  severe  illness,  and  after  a  day  of 
no  small  fatigue. " 

"  Well, "  answered  the  elder  archer,  "  though  it 
is  uncommon  for  men  who,  like  us,  live  by  bow- 
string and  quiver,  to  meddle  with  interrogations 
and  examinations,  yet,  as  the  case  stands,  we 
must  make  some  inquiries  of  your  son,  ere  we  per- 
mit him  to  set  forth  to  the  Castle  of  Douglas, 
where  you  say  his  errand  leads  him. " 

"  Eather  my  errand,  noble  sir, "  said  the  min- 
strel, "  than  that  of  the  young  man  himself. " 

"  If  such  be  the  case, "  answered  Bend-the-Bow, 
"  we  may  sufficiently  do  our  duty  by  sending  your- 
self, with  the  first  grey  light  of  dawn,  to  the 
castle,  and  letting  your  son  remain  in  bed,  which 
I  warrant  is  the  fittest  place  for  him,  until  we 
shall  receive  Sir  John  de  Walton's  commands 
whether  he  is  to  be  brought  onward  or  not. " 

"  And  we  may  as  well, "  said  Anthony,  "  since 
we  are  to  have  this  man's  company  at  supper, 
make  him  acquainted  with  the  rules  of  the  out 
garrison  stationed  here  for  the  time. "  So  saying, 
he  pulled  a  scroll  from  his  leather  pouch,  and  said, 
"  Minstrel,  canst  thou  read  ?  " 

"  It  becomes  my  calling, "  said  the  minstrel. 

"  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  mine,  though, "  an- 
swered the  archer,  "  and  therefore  do  thou  read 
these  regulations  aloud ;  for  since  I  do  not  compre- 
hend these  characters  by  sight,  I  lose  no  chance  of 
having  them  read  over  to  me  as  often  as  I  can,  that 
I  may  fix  their  sense  in  my  memory.  So  beware 
that  thou  readest  the  words  letter  for  letter  as 
they  are  set  down ;   for  thou  dost  so  at  thy  peril, 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  27 

Sir  Minstrel,  if  thou  readest  not  like  a  true 
man. " 

"  On  my  minstrel  word, "  said  Bertram,  and 
began  to  read  excessively  slow ;  for  he  wished  to 
gain  a  little  time  for  consideration,  which  he 
foresaw  would  be  necessary  to  prevent  his  being 
separated  from  his  mistress,  which  was  likely  to 
occasion  her  much  anxiety  and  distress.  He  there- 
fore began  thus:  "'Outpost  at  Hazelside,  the 
steading  of  Goodman  Thomas  Dickson'  —  Ay, 
Thomas,  and  is  thy  house  so  called  ? " 

"  It  is  the  ancient  name  of  the  steading, "  said 
the  Scot,  "  being  surrounded  by  a  hazel-shaw,  or 
thicket. " 

"  Hold  your  chattering  tongue,  minstrel, "  said 
Anthony,  "  and  proceed,  as  you  value  that  or  your 
ears,  which  you  seem  disposed  to  make  less  use 
of." 

"  'His  garrison, '  "  proceeded  the  minstrel,  reading, 
"  'consists  of  a  lance  with  its  furniture. '  What, 
then,  a  lance,  in  other  words,  a  belted  knight, 
commands  this  party  ?  " 

"  'Tis  no  concern  of  thine, "  said  the  archer. 

"  But  it  is, "  answered  the  minstrel ;  "  we  have 
a  right  to  be  examined  by  the  highest  person  in 
presence. " 

"  I  will  show  thee,  thou  rascal, "  said  the  archer, 
starting  up,  "  that  I  am  lance  enough  for  thee  to 
reply  to,  and  I  will  break  thy  head  if  thou  say'st 
a  word  more. " 

"  Take  care,  brother  Anthony, "  said  his  com- 
rade, "  we  are  to  use  travellers  courteously  —  and, 
with  your  leave,  those  travellers  best  who  come 
from  our  native  land. " 

"  It  is  even  so  stated  here, "  said  the  minstrel. 


28  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

and  he  proceeded  to  read :  "  '  The  watch  at  this 
outpost  of  Hazelside  ^  shall  stop  and  examine  all 
travellers  passing  by  the  said  station,  suffering 
such  to  pass  onwards  to  the  town  of  Douglas,  or  to 
Douglas  Castle,  always  interrogating  them  with 
civility,  and  detaining  and  turning  them  back  if 
there  arise  matter  of  suspicion;  but  conducting 
themselves  in  all  matters  civilly  and  courteously 
to  the  people  of  the  country,  and  to  those  who 
travel  in  it. '  You  see,  most  excellent  and  valiant 
archer, "  added  the  commentator  Bertram,  "  that 
courtesy  and  civility  are,  above  all,  recommended 
to  your  worship  in  your  conduct  towards  the  in- 
habitants, and  those  passengers  who,  like  us,  may 
chance  to  fall  under  your  rules  in  such  matters. " 

"  I  am  not  be  told  at  this  time  of  day, "  said  the 
archer,  "  how  to  conduct  myself  in  the  discharge 
of  my  duties.  Let  me  advise  you.  Sir  Minstrel,  to 
be  frank  and  open  in  your  answers  to  our  inquiries, 
and  you  shall  have  no  reason  to  complain. " 

"  I  hope,  at  all  events, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  to 
have  your  favour  for  my  son,  who  is  a  delicate 
stripling,  and  not  accustomed  to  play  his  part 
among  the  crew  which  inhabit  this  wild  world. " 

"  Well, "  continued  the  elder  and  more  civil  of 
the  two  archers,  "  if  thy  son  be  a  novice  in  this 
terrestrial  navigation,  I  warrant  that  thou,  my 
friend,  from  thy  look  and  manner  of  speech,  hast 

1  [Hazelside  Place,  the  fief  granted  to  Thomas  Dickson  by 
William  the  Hardy,  seventh  Lord  Douglas,  is  still  pointed  out 
about  two  miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  Castle  Dangerous.  Dick- 
son was  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time  when  Lord  James  first 
appeared  in  Douglasdale.  His  heirs  kept  possession  of  the  fief  for 
centuries ;  and  some  respectable  gentlemen's  families  in  Lanark- 
shire still  trace  themselves  to  this  ancestor.  —  From  Notes  by  Mr, 
Haddow.] 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  29 

enough  of  skill  to  use  thy  compass.  To  comfort 
thee,  although  thou  must  thyself  answer  the  ques- 
tions of  our  governor  or  deputy  governor,  in  order 
that  he  may  see  there  is  no  offence  in  thee,  I  think 
there  may  be  permission  granted  for  thy  son's 
residing  here  in  the  convent  hard  by  (where  the 
nuns,  by  the  way,  are  as  old  as  the  monks,  and 
have  nearly  as  long  beards,  so  thou  mayst  be  easy 
about  thy  son's  morals),  until  thou  hast  done  thy 
business  at  Douglas  Castle,  and  art  ready  to  re- 
sume thy  journey. " 

"  If  such  permission, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  can 
be  obtained,  I  should  be  better  pleased  to  leave 
him  at  the  abbey,  and  go  myself,  in  the  first 
place,  to  take  the  directions  of  your  commanding 
officer. " 

"  Certainly, "  answered  the  archer,  "  that  will  be 
the  safest  and  best  way ;  and  with  a  piece  or  two 
of  money,  thou  mayst  secure  the  protection  of 
the  abbot." 

"  Thou  say  'st  well, "  answered  the  minstrel ;  "  I 
have  known  life,  I  have  known  every  stile,  gap, 
pathway,  and  pass  of  this  wilderness  of  ours  for 
some  thirty  years;  and  he  that  cannot  steer  his 
course  fairly  through  it  like  an  able  seaman,  after 
having  served  such  an  apprenticeship,  can  hardly 
ever  be  taught,  were  a  century  to  be  given  him  to 
learn  it  in. " 

"  Since  thou  art  so  expert  a  mariner,"  answered 
the  archer  Anthony,  "  thou  hast,  I  warrant  me, 
met  in  thy  wanderings  a  potation  called  a  morn- 
ing's draught,  which  they  who  are  conducted  by 
others,  where  they  themselves  lack  experience, 
are  used  to  bestow  upon  those  who  undertake  the 
task  of  guide  upon  such  an  occasion  ? " 


30  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  I  understand  you,  sir, "  quoth  the  minstrel ; 
**  and  although  money,  or  drink-geld y  as  the  Fle- 
ming calls  it,  is  rather  a  scarce  commodity  in  the 
purse  of  one  of  my  calling,  yet,  according  to  my 
feeble  ability,  thou  shalt  have  no  cause  to  com- 
plain that  thine  eyes  or  those  of  thy  comrades 
have  been  damaged  by  a  Scottish  mist,  while  we 
can  find  an  English  coin  to  pay  for  the  good  liquor 
which  should  wash  them  clear. " 

"  Content, "  said  the  archer ;  "  we  now  under- 
stand each  other;  and  if  difficulties  arise  on  the 
road,  thou  shalt  not  want  the  countenance  of 
Anthony  to  sail  triumphantly  through  them.  But 
thou  hadst  better  let  thy  son  know  soon  of  the 
early  visit  to  the  abbot  to-morrow,  for  thou  mayst 
guess  that  we  cannot  and  dare  not  delay  our  depar- 
ture for  the  convent  a  minute  after  the  eastern  sky 
is  ruddy;  and,  with  other  infirmities,  young  men 
often  are  prone  to  laziness  and  a  love  of  ease. " 

"  Thou  shalt  have  no  reason  to  think  so, "  an- 
swered the  minstrel ;  "  not  the  lark  himself,  when 
waked  by  the  first  ray  peeping  over  the  black 
cloud,  springs  more  lightly  to  the  sky,  than  will 
my  Augustine  answer  the  same  brilliant  summons. 
And  now  we  understand  each  other,  I  would  only 
further  pray  you  to  forbear  light  talk  while  my 
son  is  in  your  company  —  a  boy  of  innocent  life, 
and  timid  in  conversation." 

"Nay,  jolly  minstrel,"  said  the  elder  archer, 
"  thou  givest  us  here  too  gross  an  example  of  Satan 
reproving  sin.  If  thou  hast  followed  thy  craft  for 
twenty  years,  as  thou  pretendest,  thy  son,  having 
kept  thee  company  since  childhood,  must  by  this 
time  be  fit  to  open  a  school  to  teach  even  devils 
the  practice   of   the   seven   deadly  sins,  of  which 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  31 

none  know  the  theory  if  those  of  the  gay  science 
are  lacking. " 

"  Truly,  comrade,  thou  speakest  well, "  answered 
Bertram,  "  and  I  acknowledge  that  we  minstrels 
are  too  much  to  blame  in  this  matter.  Neverthe- 
less, in  good  sooth,  the  fault  is  not  one  of  which  I 
myself  am  particularly  guilty :  on  the  contrary,  I 
think  that  he  who  would  wish  to  have  his  own 
hair  honoured  when  time  has  strewed  it  with 
silver,  should  so  rein  his  mirth  when  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  young,  as  may  show  in  what  respect 
he  holds  innocence.  I  will,  therefore,  with  your 
permission,  speak  a  word  to  Augustine,  that  to- 
morrow we  must  be  on  foot  early. " 

"  Do  so,  my  friend, "  said  the  English  soldier ; 
"  and  do  the  same  the  more  speedily  that  our  poor 
supper  is  still  awaiting  until  thou  art  ready  to 
partake  of  it. " 

"To  which,  I  promise  thee,"  said  Bertram,  "I 
am  disposed  to  entertain  no  delay. " 

"  Follow  me,  then, "  said  Dickson,  "  and  I  will 
show  thee  where  this  young  bird  of  thine  has  his 
nest. " 

Their  host  accordingly  tripped  up  the  wooden 
stair,  and  tapped  at  a  door,  which  he  thus  indi- 
cated was  that  of  his  younger  guest. 

"  Your  father, "  continued  he,  as  the  door  opened, 
"  would  speak  with  you,  Master  Augustine.  " 

"  Excuse  me,  my  host, "  answered  Augustine ; 
"  the  truth  is,  that  this  room  being  directly  above 
your  eating-chamber,  and  the  flooring  not  in  the 
best  possible  repair,  I  have  been  compelled  to  the 
unhandsome  practice  of  eavesdropping,  and  not  a 
word  has  escaped  me  that  passed  concerning  my 
proposed  residence  at  the   abbey,  our  journey  to- 


32  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

morrow,  and  the  somewhat  early  hour  at  which  I 
must  shake  off  sloth,  and,  according  to  thy  expres- 
sion, fly  down  from  the  roost." 

"  And  how  dost  thou  relish, "  said  Dickson, 
"being  left  with  the  Abbot  of  St.  Bride's  little 
flock  here?" 

"  Why,  well, "  said  the  youth,  "  if  the  abbot  is 
a  man  of  respectability  becoming  his  vocation,  and 
not  one  of  those  swaggering  churchmen,  who 
stretch  out  the  sword,  and  bear  themselves  like 
rank  soldiers  in  these  troublous  times. " 

"  For  that,  young  master, "  said  Dickson,  "  if 
you  let  him  put  his  hand  deep  enough  into  your 
purse,  he  will  hardly  quarrel  with  anything. " 

"  Then  I  will  leave  him  to  my  father, "  replied 
Augustine,  "  who  will  not  grudge  him  anything 
he  asks  in  reason. " 

"  In  that  case, "  replied  the  Scotchman,  "  you 
may  trust  to  our  abbot  for  good  accommodation  — 
and  so  both  sides  are  pleased. " 

"  It  is  well,  my  son, "  said  Bertram,  who  now 
joined  in  the  conversation ;  "  and  that  thou  mayst 
be  ready  for  thy  early  travelling,  I  shall  presently 
get  our  host  to  send  thee  some  food,  after  par- 
taking of  which  thou  shouldst  go  to  bed  and  sleep 
off  the  fatigue  of  to-day,  since  to-morrow  will  bring 
work  for  itself. " 

"  And  as  for  thy  engagement  to  these  honest 
archers, "  answered  Augustine,  "  I  hope  you  will 
be  able  to  do  what  will  give  pleasure  to  our 
guides,  if  they  are  disposed  to  be  civil  and  true 
men. " 

"  God  bless  thee,  my  child !  "  answered  Bertram  ; 
"  thou  knowest  already  what  would  drag  after  thy 
beck  all  the  English  archers  that  were  ever  on  this 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  33 

side  of  the  Solway.  There  is  no  fear  of  a  grey- 
goose  shaft,  if  you  sing  a  reveillez  like  to  that 
which  chimed  even  now  from  that  silken  nest  of 
dainty  young  goldfinches. " 

"  Hold  me  as  in  readiness,  then, "  said  the  seem- 
ing youth,  "  when  you  depart  to-morrow  morning. 
I  am  within  hearing,  I  suppose,  of  the  bells  of  St. 
Bride's  chapel,  and  have  no  fear,  through  my  sloth, 
of  keeping  you  or  your  company  waiting. " 

"  Good-night,  and  God  bless  thee,  my  child !  * 
again  said  the  minstrel ;  "  remember  that  your 
father  sleeps  not  far  distant,  and  on  the  slightest 
alarm  will  not  fail  to  be  with  you.  I  need  scarce 
bid  thee  recommend  thyself,  meantime,  to  the  great 
Being,  who  is  the  friend  and  father  of  us  all. " 

The  pilgrim  thanked  his  supposed  father  for  his 
evening  blessing,  and  the  visitors  withdrew  with- 
out further  speech  at  the  time,  leaving  the  young 
lady  to  those  engrossing  fears  which,  the  novelty 
of  her  situation  and  the  native  delicacy  of  her  sex 
being  considered,  naturally  thronged  upon  her. 

The  tramp  of  a  horse's  foot  was  not  long  after 
heard  at  the  house  of  Hazelside,  and  the  rider  was 
welcomed  by  its  garrison  with  marks  of  respect. 
Bertram  understood  so  much  as  to  discover  from 
the  conversation  of  the  warders  that  this  late 
arrival  was  Aymer  de  Valence,  the  knight  who 
commanded  the  little  party,  and  to  the  furniture 
of  whose  lance,  as  it  was  technically  called, 
belonged  the  archers  with  whom  we  have  already 
been  acquainted,  a  man-at-arms  or  two,  a  certain 
proportion  of  pages  or  grooms,  and,  in  short,  the 
command  and  guidance  of  the  garrison  at  Thomas 
Dickson's,  while  in  rank  he  was  deputy  governor 
of  Douglas  Castle. 


34  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

To  prevent  all  suspicion  respecting  himself  and 
his  companion,  as  well  as  the  risk  of  the  latter 
being  disturbed,  the  minstrel  thought  it  proper  to 
present  himself  to  the  inspection  of  this  knight, 
the  great  authority  of  the  little  place.  He  found 
him,  with  as  little  scruple  as  the  archers  hereto- 
fore, making  a  supper  of  the  relics  of  the  roast 
beef. 

Before  this  young  knight  Bertram  underwent 
an  examination,  while  an  old  soldier  took  down 
in  writing  such  items  of  information  as  the  exami- 
nate  thought  proper  to  express  in  his  replies,  both 
with  regard  to  the  minutise  of  his  present  journey, 
his  business  at  Castle  Douglas,  and  his  route  when 
that  business  should  be  accomplished;  a  much 
more  minute  examination,  in  a  word,  than  he  had 
hitherto  undergone  by  the  archers,  or  perhaps  than 
was  quite  agreeable  to  him,  being  incumbered 
with  at  least  the  knowledge  of  one  secret,  what- 
ever more.  Not  that  this  new  examinator  had 
anything  stern  or  severe  in  his  looks  or  his  ques- 
tions. As  to  the  first,  he  was  mild,  gentle,  and 
"  meek  as  a  maid, "  and  possessed  exactly  of  the 
courteous  manners  ascribed  by  our  father  Chaucer 
to  the  pattern  of  chivalry  whom  he  describes  upon 
his  pilgrimage  to  Canterbury.  But  with  all  his 
gentleness,  De  Valence  showed  a  great  degree  of 
acuteness  and  accuracy  in  his  queries ;  and  well 
pleased  was  Bertram  that  the  young  knight  did 
not  insist  upon  seeing  his  supposed  son,  although 
even  in  that  case  his  ready  wit  had  resolved,  like 
a  seaman  in  a  tempest,  to  sacrifice  one  part  to  pre- 
serve the  rest.  He  was  not,  however,  driven  to 
this  extremity,  being  treated  by  Sir  Aymer  with 
that  degree  of  courtesy  which  in  that  age  men  of 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  35 

song  were  in  general  thought  entitled  to.  The 
knight  kindly  and  liberally  consented  to  the  lad's 
remaining  in  the  convent,  as  a  fit  and  quiet  resi- 
dence for  a  stripling  and  an  invalid,  until  Sir 
John  de  Walton  should  express  his  pleasure  on 
the  subject;  and  Sir  Aymer  consented  to  this  ar- 
rangement the  more  willingly,  as  it  averted  all 
possible  danger  of  bringing  disease  into  the  Eng- 
lish garrison. 

By  the  young  knight's  order,  all  in  Dickson's 
house  were  despatched  earlier  to  rest  than  usual ; 
the  matin  bell  of  the  neighbouring  chapel  being 
the  signal  for  their  assembly  by  daybreak.  They 
rendezvoused  accordingly,  and  proceeded  to  St. 
Bride's,  where  they  heard  mass,  after  which  an 
interview  took  place  between  the  Abbot  Jerome 
and  the  minstrel,  in  which  the  former  undertook, 
with  the  permission  of  De  Valence,  to  receive 
Augustine  into  his  abbey  as  a  guest  for  a  few  days, 
less  or  more,  and  for  which  Bertram  promised  an 
acknowledgment  in  name  of  alms,  which  was 
amply  satisfactory. 

"  So  be  it, "  said  Bertram,  taking  leave  of  his 
supposed  son ;  "  rely  on  it  I  will  not  tarry  a  day 
longer  at  Douglas  Castle  than  shall  suffice  for 
transacting  my  business  there,  which  is  to  look 
after  the  old  books  you  wot  of,  and  I  will  speedily 
return  for  thee  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Bride,  to  resume 
in  company  our  journey  homeward.  " 

"  O  father, "  replied  the  youth,  with  a  smile, 
"  I  fear,  if  you  get  among  romances  and  chronicles, 
you  will  be  so  earnest  in  your  researches,  that  you 
will  forget  poor  Augustine  and  his  concerns. " 

"  Never  fear  me,  Augustine, "  said  the  old  man, 
making  the  motion  of  throwing  a  kiss  towards  the 


36  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

boy ;  "  thou  art  good  and  virtuous,  and  Heaven 
will  not  neglect  thee  were  thy  father  unnatural 
enough  to  do  so.  Believe  me,  all  the  old  songs 
since  Merlin's  day  shall  not  make  me  forget  thee. " 
Thus  they  separated,  the  minstrel,  with  the 
English  knight  and  his  retinue,  to  move  towards 
the  castle,  and  the  youth  in  dutiful  attendance  on 
the  venerable  abbot,  who  was  delighted  to  find 
that  his  guest's  thoughts  turned  rather  upon  spiri- 
tual things  than  on  the  morning  repast,  of  the 
approach  of  which  he  could  not  help  being  himself 
sensible. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

The  night,  methinks,  is  but  the  daylight  sick, 
It  looks  a  little  paler ;  'tis  a  day 
Such  as  the  day  is  when  the  sun  is  hid. 

Merchant  of  Venice. 

To  facilitate  the  progress  of  the  party  on  its  way 
to  Douglas  Castle,  the  Knight  of  Valence  offered 
the  minstrel  the  convenience  of  a  horse,  which  the 
fatigues  of  yesterday  made  him  gladly  accept. 
Any  one  acquainted  with  equestrian  exercise  is 
aware  that  no  means  of  refreshment  carries  away 
the  sense  of  fatigue  from  over-walking  so  easily  as 
the  exchange  to  riding,  which  calls  into  play  an- 
other set  of  muscles,  and  leaves  those  which  have 
been  over-exerted  an  opportunity  of  resting  through 
change  of  motion,  more  completely  than  they 
could  in  absolute  repose.  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence 
was  sheathed  in  armour,  and  mounted  on  his 
charger ;  two  of  the  archers,  a  groom  of  mean  rank, 
and  a  squire,  who  looked  in  his  day  for  the  honour 
of  knighthood,  completed  the  detachment,  which 
seemed  so  disposed  as  to  secure  the  minstrel  from 
escape,  and  to  protect  him  against  violence. 
"  Not, "  said  the  young  knight,  addressing  himself 
to  Bertram,  "  that  there  is  usually  danger  in  tra- 
velling in  this  country,  any  more  than  in  the  most 
quiet  districts  of  England ;  but  some  disturbances, 
as  you  may  have  learnt,  have  broken  out  here 
within  this  last  year,  and  have  caused  the  garrison 


38  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

of  Castle  Douglas  to  maintain  a  stricter  watch. 
But  let  us  move  on,  for  the  complexion  of  the  day 
is  congenial  with  the  original  derivation  of  the 
name  of  the  country,  and  the  description  of  the 
chiefs  to  whom  it  belonged  —  Sholto  Dhu  Glass  — 
(see  yon  dark  grey  man),  and  dark  grey  will  our 
route  prove  this  morning,  though  by  good  luck  it 
is  not  long. " 

The  morning  was  indeed  what  the  original 
Gaelic  words  implied,  a  drizzly,  dark,  moist  day ; 
the  mist  had  settled  upon  the  hills,  and  unrolled 
itself  upon  brook,  glade,  and  tarn,  and  the  spring 
breeze  was  not  powerful  enough  to  raise  the  veil, 
though,  from  the  wild  sounds  which  were  heard 
occasionally  on  the  ridges  and  through  the  glens, 
it  might  be  supposed  to  wail  at  a  sense  of  its  own 
inability.  The  route  of  the  travellers  was  directed 
by  the  course  which  the  river  had  ploughed  for 
itself  down  the  valley,  the  banks  of  which  bore  in 
general  that  dark  grey  livery  which  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence  had  intimated  to  be  the  prevalent  tint  of 
the  country.  Some  ineffectual  struggles  of  the  sun 
shot  a  ray  here  and  there  to  salute  the  peaks  of 
the  hills ;  yet  these  were  unable  to  surmount  the 
dulness  of  a  March  morning,  and,  at  so  early  an 
hour,  produced  a  variety  of  shades,  rather  than  a 
gleam  of  brightness,  upon  the  eastern  horizon. 
The  view  was  monotonous  and  depressing,  and 
apparently  the  good  knight  Aymer  sought  some 
amusement  in  occasional  talk  with  Bertram,  who, 
as  was  usual  with  his  craft,  possessed  a  fund  of 
knowledge,  and  a  power  of  conversation,  well 
suited  to  pass  away  a  dull  morning.  The  minstrel, 
well  pleased  to  pick  up  such  information  as  he 
might  be  able  concerning  the  present  state  of  the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  39 

country,  embraced  every  opportunity  of  sustaining 
the  dialogue. 

"  I  would  speak  with  you,  Sir  Minstrel, "  said 
the  young  knight.  "  If  thou  dost  not  find  the  air 
of  this  morning  too  harsh  for  thine  organs,  heartily 
do  I  wish  thou  wouldst  fairly  tell  me  what  can 
have  induced  thee,  being,  as  thou  seemest,  a  man 
of  sense,  to  thrust  thyself  into  a  wild  country  like 
this,  at  such  a  time.  —  And  you,  my  masters, " 
addressing  the  archers,  and  the  rest  of  the  party, 
"  methmks  it  would  be  as  fitting  and  seeming  if 
you  reined  back  your  steeds  for  a  horse's  length 
or  so,  since  I  apprehend  you  can  travel  on  your 
way  without  the  pastime  of  minstrelsy. "  The 
bowmen  took  the  hint,  and  fell  back,  but,  as  was 
expressed  by  their  grumbling  observations,  by  no 
means  pleased  that  there  seemed  little  chance  of 
their  overhearing  what  conversation  should  pass 
between  the  young  knight  and  the  minstrel,  which 
proceeded  as  follows  :  — 

"  I  am,  then,  to  understand,  good  minstrel, " 
said  the  knight,  "  that  you,  who  have  in  your  time 
borne  arms,  and  even  followed  St.  George's  red- 
cross  banner  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  are  so  little 
tired  of  the  danger  attending  our  profession,  that 
you  feel  yourself  attracted  unnecessarily  to  regions 
where  the  sword,  for  ever  loose  in  its  scabbard,  is 
ready  to  start  on  the  slightest  provocation  ? " 

"It  would  be  hard,"  replied  the  minstrel 
bluntly,  "  to  answer  such  a  question  in  the  affir- 
mative ;  and  yet,  when  you  consider  how  nearly 
allied  is  his  profession  who  celebrates  deeds  of 
arms  with  that  of  the  knight  who  performs  them, 
your  honour,  I  think,  will  hold  it  advisable  that 
a   minstrel    desirous  of   doing  his  devoir,  should, 


40  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

like  a  young  knight,  seek  the  truth  of  adventures 
where  it  is  to  be  found,  and  rather  visit  countries 
where  the  knowledge  is  preserved  of  high  and 
noble  deeds,  than  those  lazy  and  quiet  realms,  in 
which  men  live  indolently,  and  die  ignobly  in  peace, 
or  by  sentence  of  law.  You  yourself,  sir,  and  those 
like  you,  who  hold  life  cheap  in  respect  of  glory, 
guide  your  course  through  this  world  on  the  very 
same  principle  which  brings  your  poor  rhyming 
servant  Bertram  from  a  far  province  of  merry  Eng- 
land, to  this  dark  country  of  rugged  Scotland  called 
Douglas  Dale.  You  long  to  see  adventures  worthy 
of  notice,  and  I  (under  favour  for  naming  us  two 
in  the  same  breath)  seek  a  scanty  and  precarious, 
but  not  a  dishonourable  living,  by  preparing  for 
immortality,  as  well  as  I  can,  the  particulars  of 
such  exploits,  especially  the  names  of  those  who 
were  the  heroes  of  these  actions.  Each,  therefore, 
labours  in  his  vocation ;  nor  can  the  one  be  justly 
wondered  at  more  than  the  other,  seeing  that  if 
there  be  any  difference  in  the  degrees  of  danger  to 
which  both  the  hero  and  the  poet  are  exposed,  the 
courage,  strength,  arms,  and  address  of  the  valiant 
knight  render  it  safer  for  him  to  venture  into 
scenes  of  peril,  than  for  the  poor  man  of  rhyme. " 
"  You  say  well, "  answered  the  warrior ;  "  and 
although  it  is  something  of  novelty  to  me  to  hear 
your  craft  represented  as  upon  a  level  with  my 
own  mode  of  life,  yet  shame  were  it  to  say  that 
the  minstrel  who  toils  so  much  to  keep  in  memory 
the  feats  of  gallant  knights,  should  not  himself 
prefer  fame  to  existence,  and  a  single  achievement 
of  valour  to  a  whole  age  without  a  name,  or  to 
affirm  that  he  follows  a  mean  and  unworthy 
profession. " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  41 

"  Your  worship  will  then  acknowledge, "  said 
the  minstrel,  "  that  it  is  a  legitimate  object  in 
such  as  myself,  who,  simple  as  I  am,  have  taken 
my  regular  degrees  among  the  professors  of  the  gay 
science  at  the  capital  town  of  Aigues-Mortes,  to 
struggle  forward  into  this  northern  district,  where 
I  am  well  assured  many  things  have  happened 
which  have  been  adapted  to  the  harp  by  minstrels 
of  great  fame  in  ancient  days,  and  have  become 
the  subject  of  lays  which  lie  deposited  in  the 
library  of  Castle  Douglas,  where,  unless  copied 
over  by  some  one  who  understands  the  old  British 
characters  and  language,  they  must,  with  whatever 
they  may  contain,  whether  of  entertainment  or 
edification,  be  speedily  lost  to  posterity.  If  these 
hidden  treasures  were  preserved  and  recorded  by 
the  minstrel  art  of  my  poor  self  and  others,  it 
might  be  held  well  to  compensate  for  the  risk  of 
a  chance  blow  of  a  broadsword,  or  the  sweep  of  a 
brown  bill,  received  while  I  am  engaged  in  col- 
lecting them;  and  I  were  unworthy  of  the  name 
of  a  man,  much  more  of  an  inventor  or  finder,  ^ 
should  I  weigh  the  loss  of  life,  a  commodity 
always  so  uncertain,  against  the  chance  of  that 
immortality  which  will  survive  in  my  lay  after 
my  broken  voice  and  shivered  harp  shall  no 
longer  be  able  either  to  express  tune  or  accom- 
pany tale. " 

"  Certainly, "  said  Sir  Aymer,  "  having  a  heart 
to  feel  such  a  motive,  you  have  an  undoubted  right 

1  The  name  of  Maker  or  Makar  stands  for  Poet  (with  the 
original  sense  of  which  word  it  exactly  corresponds)  in  the  old  Scot- 
tish language.  That  of  Trouveur  or  Troubadour  —  Finder,  in 
short  —  has  a  similar  meaning,  and  almost  in  every  country  the 
poetical  tribes  have  been  graced  with  the  same  epithets,  inferring 
the  property  of  those  who  employ  invention  or  creation. 


42  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

to  express  it ;  nor  should  I  have  been  in  any  degree 
disposed  to  question  it  had  I  found  many  minstrels 
prepared,  like  yourself,  to  prefer  renown  even  to 
life  itself,  which  most  men  think  of  greatly  more 
consequence. " 

"  There  are,  indeed,  noble  sir, "  replied  Bertram, 
"  minstrels,  and,  with  your  reverence,  even  belted 
knights  themselves,  who  do  not  sufficiently  value 
that  renown  which  is  acquired  at  the  risk  of  life. 
To  such  ignoble  men  we  must  leave  their  own 
reward  —  let  us  abandon  to  them  earth,  and  the 
things  of  earth,  since  they  cannot  aspire  to  that 
glory  which  is  the  hest  reward  of  others. " 

The  minstrel  uttered  these  last  words  with  such 
enthusiasm,  that  the  knight  drew  his  bridle,  and 
stood  fronting  Bertram,  with  his  countenance 
kindling  at  the  same  theme,  on  which,  after  a 
short  silence,  he  expressed  himself  with  a  like 
vivacity. 

"  Well  fare  thy  heart,  gay  companion !  I  am 
happy  to  see  there  is  still  so  much  enthusiasm 
surviving  in  the  world.  Thou  hast  fairly  won  the 
minstrel  groat;  and  if  I  do  not  pay  it  in  con- 
formity to  my  sense  of  thy  merit,  it  shall  be  the 
fault  of  dame  Fortune,  who  has  graced  my  labours 
in  these  Scottish  wars  with  the  niggard  pay  of 
Scottish  money.  A  gold  piece  or  two  there  must 
be  remaining  of  the  ransom  of  one  French  knight, 
whom  chance  threw  into  my  hands,  and  that,  my 
friend,  shall  surely  be  thine  own ;  and  hark  thee, 
I,  Aymer  de  Valence,  who  nov/  speak  to  thee,  am 
born  of  the  noble  House  of  Pembroke ;  and,  though 
now  landless,  shall,  by  the  grace  of  Our  Lady, 
have  in  time  a  fitting  establishment,  wherein  I 
will   find   room   for  a  minstrel  like   thee,  if   thy 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  43 

talents  have  not  by  that  time  found  thee  a  better 
patron. " 

"  Thank  thee,  noble  knight, "  said  the  minstrel, 
"  as  well  for  thy  present  intentions,  as  I  hope  I 
shall  for  thy  future  performance;  but  I  may  say 
with  truth,  that  I  have  not  the  sordid  inclination 
of  many  of  my  brethren. " 

"  He  who  partakes  the  true  thirst  of  noble  fame, " 
said  the  young  knight,  "  can  have  little  room  in  his 
heart  for  the  love  of  gold.  But  thou  hast  not  yet 
told  me,  friend  minstrel,  what  are  the  motives,  in 
particular,  which  have  attracted  thy  wandering 
steps  to  this  wild  country  ?  " 

"  Were  I  to  do  so, "  replied  Bertram,  rather  de- 
sirous to  avoid  the  question,  as  in  some  respects 
too  nearly  bordering  on  the  secret  purpose  of  his 
journey,  "  it  might  sound  like  a  studied  panegyric 
on  thine  own  bold  deeds,  Sir  Knight,  and  those  of 
your  companions  in  arms ;  and  such  adulation, 
minstrel  as  I  am,  I  hate  like  an  empty  cup  at  a 
companion's  lips.  But  let  me  say  in  few  words, 
that  Douglas  Castle,  and  the  deeds  of  valour  which 
it  has  witnessed,  have  sounded  wide  through  Eng- 
land; nor  is  there  a  gallant  knight  or  trusty 
minstrel,  whose  heart  does  not  throb  at  the  name 
of  the  stronghold,  which,  in  former  days,  the  foot 
of  an  Englishman  never  entered,  except  in  hospi- 
tality. There  is  a  magic  in  the  very  names  of  Sir 
John  de  Walton  and  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  the 
gallant  defenders  of  a  place  so  often  won  back  by 
its  ancient  lords,  and  with  such  circumstances  of 
valour  and  cruelty,  that  it  bears,  in  England,  the 
name  of  the  Dangerous  Castle. " 

"  Yet  I  would  fain  hear, "  answered  the  knight, 
"  your  own  minstrel  account  of  those  legends  which 


44  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

have  induced  you,  for  the  amusement  of  future 
times,  to  visit  a  country  which,  at  this  period,  is 
so  distracted  and  perilous. " 

"  If  you  can  endure  the  length  of  a  minstrel 
tale, "  said  Bertram  —  "I  for  one  am  always 
amused  by  the  exercise  of  my  vocation,  and  have 
no  objection  to  tell  my  story,  provided  you  do  not 
prove  an  impatient  listener. " 

"  Nay,  for  that  matter, "  said  the  young  knight, 
"  a  fair  listener  thou  shalt  have  of  me ;  and  if  my 
reward  be  not  great,  my  attention  at  least  shall 
be  remarkable. " 

"  And  he, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  must  be  a  poor 
gleeman  who  does  not  hold  himself  better  paid 
w^ith  that,  than  with  gold  or  silver,  were  the 
pieces  English  rose-nobles.  On  this  condition, 
then,  I  begin  a  long  story,  which  may,  in  one  or 
other  of  its  details,  find  subject  for  better  min- 
strels than  myself,  and  be  listened  to  by  such 
warriors  as  you  hundreds  of  years  hence. " 


CHAPTEE  lY. 

While  many  a  merry  lay  and  many  a  song 

Cheer'd  the  rough  road,  we  wish'd  the  rough  road  long ; 

The  rough  road  then  returning  in  a  round, 

Mark'd  their  impatient  steps,  for  all  was  fairy  ground. 

Dr.  Johnson. 

"  It  was  about  the  year  of  redemption  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  eighty-five  years,"  began 
the  minstrel,  "  when  King  Alexander  the  Third  of 
Scotland  lost  his  daughter  Margaret,  whose  only 
child,  of  the  same  name,  called  the  Maiden  of 
Norway  (as  her  father  was  king  of  that  country), 
became  the  heiress  of  this  kingdom  of  Scotland, 
as  well  as  of  her  father's  crown.  An  unhappy 
death  was  this  for  Alexander,  who  had  no  nearer 
heirs  left  of  his  own  body  than  this  grandchild. 
She  indeed  might  claim  his  kingdom  by  birth- 
right; but  the  difficulty  of  establishing  such  a 
claim  of  inheritance  must  have,  been  anticipated 
by  all  who  bestowed  a  thought  upon  the  subject. 
The  Scottish  king,  therefore,  endeavoured  to  make 
up  for  his  loss  by  replacing  his  late  Queen,  who 
was  an  English  princess,  sister  of  our  Edward 
the  Eirst,  with  Juletta,  daughter  of  the  Count  de 
Dreux.  The  solemnities  at  the  nuptial  ceremony, 
which  took  place  in  the  town  of  Jedburgh,  were 
very  great  and  remarkable,  and  particularly  when, 
amidst  the  display  of  a  pageant  which  was  exhi- 
bited on  the  occasion,  a  ghastly  spectre  made  its 


46  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

appearance  in  the  form  of  a  skeleton,  as  the  King 
of  Terrors  is  said  to  be  represented.  —  Your  wor- 
ship is  free  to  laugh  at  this,  if  you  think  it  a 
proper  subject  for  mirth;  but  men  are  alive  who 
viewed  it  with  their  own  eyes,  and  the  event 
showed  too  well  of  what  misfortunes  this  appari- 
tion was  the  singular  prognostication. " 

"  I  have  heard  the  story, "  said  the  knight ,  "  but 
the  monk  who  told  it  me,  suggested  that  the 
figure,  though  unhappily  chosen,  was  perhaps  pur- 
posely introduced  as  a  part  of  the  pageant. " 

"  I  know  not  that, "  said  the  minstrel,  drily ; 
"  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  shortly  after  this  ap- 
parition King  Alexander  died,  to  the  great  sorrow 
of  his  people.  The  Maid  of  Norway,  his  heiress, 
speedily  followed  her  grandfather  to  the  grave, 
and  our  English  king.  Sir  Knight,  raked  up  a 
claim  of  dependency  and  homage  due,  he  said, 
by  Scotland,  which  neither  the  lawyers,  nobles, 
priests,  nor  the  very  minstrels  of  Scotland  had 
ever  before  heard  of." 

"  Now,  beshrew  me, "  interrupted  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence,  "  this  is  beyond  bargain.  I  agreed  to 
hear  your  tale  with  patience,  but  I  did  not  pledge 
myself  that  it  should  contain  matter  to  the  re- 
proach of  Edward  the  First,  of  blessed  memory; 
nor  will  I  permit  his  name  to  be  mentioned  in  my 
hearing  without  the  respect  due  to  his  high  rank 
and  noble  qualities." 

"  Nay, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  I  am  no  Highland 
bagpiper  or  genealogist,  to  carry  respect  for  my  art 
so  far  as  to  quarrel  with  a  man  of  worship  who 
stops  me  at  the  beginning  of  a  pibroch.  I  am  an 
Englishman,  and  wish  dearly  well  to  my  country ; 
and,  above  all,  I  must  speak  the   truth.     But  I 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  47 

will  avoid  disputable  topics.  Your  age,  sir, 
though  none  of  the  ripest,  authorises  me  to  sup- 
pose you  may  have  seen  the  battle  of  Falkirk,  and 
other  onslaughts  in  which  the  competition  of 
Bruce  and  Baliol  has  been  fiercely  agitated,  and 
you  will  permit  me  to  say,  that  if  the  Scottish 
have  not  had  the  right  upon  their  side,  they  have 
at  least  defended  the  wrong  with  the  efforts  of 
brave  men  and  true. " 

"  Of  brave  men,  I  grant  you, "  said  the  knight, 
"  for  I  have  seen  no  cowards  amongst  them ;  but 
as  for  truth,  they  can  best  judge  of  it  who  know 
how  often  they  have  sworn  faith  to  England,  and 
how  repeatedly  they  have  broken  their  vow. " 

"  I  shall  not  stir  the  question, "  said  the  min- 
strel, "  leaving  it  to  your  worship  to  determine 
which  has  most  falsehood  —  he  who  compels  a 
weaker  person  to  take  an  unjust  oath,  or  he  who, 
compelled  by  necessity,  takes  the  imposed  oath 
without  the  intention  of  keeping  his  word. " 

"  Nay,  nay, "  said  De  Valence,  "  let  us  keep  our 
opinions,  for  we  are  not  likely  to  force  each  other 
from  the  faith  we  have  adopted  on  this  subject. 
But  take  my  advice,  and,  whilst  thou  travellest 
under  an  English  pennon,  take  heed  that  thou 
keepest  off  this  conversation  in  the  hall  and 
kitchen,  where  perhaps  the  soldier  may  be  less 
tolerant  than  the  officer ;  and  now,  in  a  word,  what 
is  thy  legend  of  this  Dangerous  Castle  ?  " 

"  For  that, "  replied  Bertram,  "  methinks  your 
worship  is  most  likely  to  have  a  better  edition 
than  I,  who  have  not  been  in  this  country  for 
many  years;  but  it  is  not  for  me  to  bandy  opi- 
nions with  your  knightship.  I  will  even  proceed 
with  the  tale  as  I  have  heard  it.     I  need  not,  I 


48  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

presume,  inform  your  worship  that  the  Lords  of 
Douglas,  who  founded  this  castle,  are  second  to 
no  lineage  in  Scotland  in  the  antiquity  of  their 
descent.  Nay,  they  have  themselves  boasted  that 
their  family  is  not  to  be  seen  or  distinguished,  like 
other  great  houses,  until  it  is  found  at  once  in  a 
certain  degree  of  eminence.  *You  may  see  us  in 
the  tree,'  they  say,  'you  cannot  discover  us  in  the 
twig ;  you  may  see  us  in  the  stream,  you  cannot 
trace  us  to  the  fountain. '  In  a  word,  they  deny 
that  historians  or  genealogists  can  point  out  the 
first  mean  man  named  Douglas,  who  originally 
elevated  the  family;  and  true  it  is,  that  so  far 
back  as  we  have  known  this  race,  they  have 
always  been  renowned  for  valour  and  enterprise, 
accompanied  with  the  power  which  made  that 
enterprise  effectual. " 

"  Enough, "  said  the  knight,  "  I  have  heard  of 
the  pride  and  power  of  that  great  family,  nor  does 
it  interest  me  in  the  least  to  deny  or  detract  from 
their  bold  claims  to  consideration  in  this  respect. " 

"  Without  doubt  you  must  also  have  heard, 
noble  sir, "  replied  the  minstrel,  "  many  things  of 
James,  the  present  heir  of  the  House  of  Douglas  ?  " 

"  More  than  enough, "  answered  the  English 
knight ;  "  he  is  known  to  have  been  a  stout  sup- 
porter of  that  outlawed  traitor,  William  Wallace ; 
and  again,  upon  the  first  raising  of  the  banner  by 
this  Robert  Bruce,  who  pretends  to  be  King  of 
Scotland,  this  young  springald,  James  Douglas, 
must  needs  start  into  rebellion  anew.  He  plunders 
his  uncle,  the  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews,  (a)^  of 

1  See  Editor's  Notes  at  the  end  of  the  Volume.  Wherever  a 
similar  reference  occurs,  the  reader  will  understand  that  the  same 
direction  applies. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  49 

a  considerable  sum  of  money,  to  fill  the  Scottish 
Usurper's  not  overburdened  treasury,  debauches 
the  servants  of  his  relation,  takes  arms,  and, 
though  repeatedly  chastised  in  the  field,  still  keeps 
his  vaunt,  and  threatens  mischief  to  those  who, 
in  the  name  of  his  rightful  sovereign,  defend  the 
Castle  of  Douglas  Dale." 

"  It  is  your  pleasure  to  say  so.  Sir  Knight, " 
replied  Bertram ;  "  yet  I  am  sure,  were  you  a  Scot, 
you  would  witli  patience  hear  me  tell  over  what 
has  been  said  of  this  young  man  by  those  who 
have  known  him,  and  whose  account  of  his  adven- 
tures shows  how  differently  the  same  tale  may  be 
told.  These  men  talk  of  the  present  heir  of  this 
ancient  family  as  fully  adequate  to  maintain  and 
augment  its  reputation ;  ready,  indeed,  to  undergo 
every  peril  in  the  cause  of  Robert  the  Bruce, 
because  the  Bruce  is  esteemed  by  him  his  lawful 
king;  and  sworn  and  devoted,  with  such  small 
strength  as  he  can  muster,  to  revenge  himself  on 
those  Southrons  who  have,  for  several  years,  as 
he  thinks,  unjustly,  possessed  themselves  of  his 
father's  abode. " 

"  Oh, "  replied  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  "  we  have 
heard  much  of  his  achievements  in  this  respect, 
and  of  his  threats  against  our  governor  and  our- 
selves ;  yet  we  think  it  scarce  likely  that  Sir  John 
de  Walton  will  move  from  Douglas  Dale  without 
the  king's  order,  although  this  James  Douglas, 
a  mere  chicken,  take  upon  himself  to  crack  his 
voice  by  crowing  like  a  cock  of  the  game. " 

"  Sir, "  answered  Bertram,  "  our  acquaintance  is 
but  brief,  and  yet  I  feel  it  has  been  so  beneficial 
to  me,  that  I  trust  there  is  no  harm  in  hoping  that 
James  Douglas  and  you  may  never  meet  in  bodily 


50  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

presence  till  the  state  of  the  two  countries  shall 
admit  of  peace  being  between  you. " 

"  Thou  art  obliging,  friend, "  answered  Sir 
Ajmer,  "  and,  I  doubt  not,  sincere ;  and  truly 
thou  seemest  to  have  a  wholesome  sense  of  the 
respect  due  to  this  young  knight,  when  men  talk 
of  him  in  his  native  valley  of  Douglas.  For  me, 
I  am  only  poor  Aymer  of  Valence,  without  an  acre 
of  land,  or  much  hope  of  acquiring  any,  unless  I 
cut  something  huge  with  my  broadsword  out  of 
the  middle  of  these  hills.  Only  this,  good  min- 
strel, if  thou  livest  to  tell  my  story,  may  I  pray 
thee  to  use  thy  scrupulous  custom  of  searching  out 
the  verity,  and  whether  I  live  or  die  thou  shalt 
not,  I  think,  discover  that  thy  late  acquaintance 
of  a  spring  morning  hath  added  more  to  the  laurels 
of  James  of  Douglas,  than  any  man's  death  must 
give  to  him  by  whose  stronger  arm,  or  more  lucky 
chance,   it  is  his  lot  to  fall. " 

"  I  nothing  fear  you.  Sir  Knight, "  said  the  min- 
strel, "  for  yours  is  that  happy  brain,  which,  bold 
in  youth  as  beseems  a  young  knight,  is  in  more 
advanced  life  the  happy  source  of  prudent  counsel, 
of  which  I  would  not,  by  an  early  death,  wish  thy 
country  to  be  deprived. " 

"  Thou  art  so  candid,  then,  as  to  wish  Old  Eng- 
land the  benefit  of  good  advice, "  said  Sir  Aymer, 
"  though  thou  leanest  to  the  side  of  Scotland  in 
the  controversy  ?  " 

"Assuredly,  Sir  Knight,"  said  the  minstrel, 
"  since  in  wishing  that  Scotland  and  England  each 
knew  their  own  true  interest,  I  am  bound  to  wish 
them  both  alike  well ;  and  they  should,  I  think, 
desire  to  live  in  friendship  together.  Occupying 
each   their   own  portion  of   the  same  island,  and 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  51 

living  under  the  same  laws,  and  being  at  peace 
with  each  other,  they  might,  without  fear,  face 
the  enmity  of  the  whole  world. " 

"  If  thy  faith  be  so  liberal, "  answered  the  knight, 
"  as  becomes  a  good  man,  thou  must  certainly  pray. 
Sir  Minstrel,  for  the  success  of  England  in  the 
war,  by  which  alone  these  murderous  hostilities  of 
the  Northern  nation  can  end  in  a  solid  peace.  The 
rebellions  of  this  obstinate  country  are  but  the 
struggles  of  the  stag  when  he  is  mortally  wounded ; 
the  animal  grows  weaker  and  weaker  with  every 
struggle,  till  his  resistance  is  effectually  tamed  by 
the  hand  of  death. " 

"  Not  so.  Sir  Knight, "  said  the  minstrel ;  "  if 
my  creed  is  well  taught  me,  we  ought  not  so  to 
pray.  We  may,  without  offence,  intimate  in  our 
prayers  the  end  we  wish  to  obtain ;  but  it  is  not 
for  us,  poor  mortals,  to  point  out  to  an  all-seeing 
Providence  the  precise  manner  in  which  our  peti- 
tions are  to  be  accomplished,  or  to  wish  the  down- 
fall of  a  country  to  end  its  commotions,  as  the 
death-stab  terminates  the  agonies  of  the  wounded 
stag.  Whether  I  appeal  to  my  heart  or  to  my 
understanding,  the  dictate  would  be  to  petition 
Heaven  for  what  is  just  and  equal  in  the  case; 
and  if  I  should  fear  for  thee.  Sir  Knight,  in  an  en- 
counter with  James  of  Douglas,  it  is  only  because 
he  upholds,  as  I  conceive,  the  better  side  of  the 
debate;  and  powers  more  than  earthly  have  pre- 
saged to  him  success. " 

"  Do  you  tell  me  so.  Sir  Minstrel, "  said  De 
Valence  in  a  threatening  tone,  "  knowing  me  and 
my  office !  " 

"  Your  personal  dignity  and  authority, "  said 
Bertram,  "  cannot  change  the  right  into  wrong,  or 


52  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

avert  what  Providence  has  decreed  to  take  place. 
You  know,  I  must  presume,  that  the  Douglas 
hath,  by  various  devices,  already  contrived  to 
make  himself  master  of  this  Castle  of  Douglas  three 
several  times,  and  that  Sir  John  de  Walton,  the 
present  governor,  holds  it  with  a  garrison  trebled 
in  force,  and  under  the  assurance  that  if,  without 
surprise,  he  should  keep  it  from  the  Scottish  power 
for  a  year  and  a  day,  he  shall  obtain  the  barony 
of  Douglas,  with  its  extensive  appendages,  in  free 
property  for  his  reward ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
if  he  shall  sufler  the  fortress  during  this  space  to 
be  taken,  either  by  guile  or  by  open  force,  as  has 
happened  successively  to  the  holders  of  the  Dan- 
gerous Castle,  he  will  become  liable  to  dishonour 
as  a  knight,  and  to  attainder  as  a  subject ;  and  the 
chiefs  who  take  share  with  him,  and  serve  under 
him,  will  participate  also  in  his  guilt  and  his 
punishment  ?  " 

"  All  this  I  know  well, "  said  Sir  Aymer ;  "  and 
I  only  wonder  that,  having  become  public,  the 
conditions  have,  nevertheless,  been  told  with  so 
much  accuracy ;  but  what  has  this  to  do  with  the 
issue  of  the  combat,  if  the  Douglas  and  I  should 
chance  to  meet  ?  I  will  not  surely  be  disposed  to 
fight  with  less  animation  because  I  wear  my  for- 
tune upon  my  sword,  or  become  coward  because  I 
fight  for  a  portion  of  the  Douglas's  estate,  as 
well  as  for  fame  and  for  fatherland?  And  after 
all" 

"  Hear  me, "  said  the  minstrel ;  "  an  ancient 
gleeman  has  said,  that  in  a  false  quarrel  there  is 
no  true  valour,  and  the  los  or  praise  won  therein 
is,  when  balanced  against  honest  fame,  as  value- 
less as  a  wreath  formed  out  of  copper,  compared  to 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  53 

a  chaplet  of  pure  gold ;  but  I  bid  you  not  take  me 
for  thy  warrant  in  this  important  question.  Thou 
well  knowest  how  James  of  Thirl  wall,  the  last 
English  commander  before  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
was  surprised,  and  the  castle  sacked  with  circum- 
stances of  great  inhumanity. " 

"  Truly, "  said  Sir  Aymer,  "  I  think  that  Scot- 
land and  England  both  have  heard  of  that  on- 
slaught, and  of  the  disgusting  proceedings  of  the 
Scottish  chieftain,  when  he  caused  transport  into 
the  wild  forest  gold,  silver,  ammunition,  and  ar- 
mour, and  all  things  that  could  be  easily  removed, 
and  destroyed  a  large  quantity  of  provisions,  in 
a  manner  equally  savage  and  unheard  of. " 

"  Perhaps,  Sir  Knight, "  said  Bertram,  "  you 
were  yourself  an  eyewitness  of  that  transaction, 
which  has  been  spoken  of  far  and  wide,  and  is 
called  the  Douglas  Larder  ?  " 

"  I  saw  not  the  actual  accomplishment  of  the 
deed, "  said  De  Valence ;  "  that  is,  I  witnessed  it 
not  a-doing,  but  I  beheld  enough  of  the  sad  relics 
to  make  the  Douglas  Larder  never  by  me  to  be  for- 
gotten as  a  record  of  horror  and  abomination.  I 
would  speak  it  truly,  by  the  hand  of  my  father 
and  by  my  honour  as  a  knight !  and  I  will  leave  it 
to  thee  to  judge  whether  it  was  a  deed  calculated 
to  secure  the  smiles  of  Heaven  in  favour  of  the 
actors.     This  is  my  edition  of  the  story  :  — 

"  A  large  quantity  of  provisions  had  during  two 
years  or  thereabouts  been  collected  from  different 
points,  and  the  Castle  of  Douglas,  newly  repaired, 
and,  as  was  thought,  carefully  guarded,  was  ap- 
pointed as  the  place  where  the  said  provisions 
were  to  be  put  in  store  for  the  service  of  the  King 
of   England,  or  of   the   Lord   Clifford,  whichever 


54  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

should  first  enter  the  Western  Marches  with  an 
English  army,  and  stand  in  need  of  such  a  supply. 
This  army  was  also  to  relieve  our  wants,  I  mean 
those  of  my  uncle  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  who  for 
some  time  before  had  lain  with  a  considerable 
force  in  the  town  called  Ayr,  near  the  old  Cale- 
donian Forest,  and  where  we  had  hot  wars  with 
the  insurgent  Scots.  Well,  sir,  it  happened,  as  in 
similar  cases,  that  Thirlwall,  though  a  bold  and 
active  soldier,  was  surprised  in  the  Castle  of 
Douglas,  about  Hallowmass,  by  this  same  worthy, 
young  James  Douglas.  In  no  very  good  humour 
was  he,  as  you  may  suppose ;  for  his  father,  called 
William  the  Hardy,  or  William  Longlegs,  having 
refused,  on  any  terms,  to  become  Anglocised,  was 
made  a  lawful  prisoner,  and  died  as  such,  closely 
confined  in  Berwick,  or,  as  some  say,  in  New- 
castle. The  news  of  his  father's  death  had  put 
young  Douglas  into  no  small  rage,  and  tended,  I 
think,  to  suggest  what  he  did  in  his  resentment. 
Embarrassed  by  the  quantity  of  provisions  which 
he  found  in  the  castle,  which,  the  English  being 
superior  in  the  country,  he  had  neither  the  means 
to  remove  nor  the  leisure  to  stay  and  consume,  the 
fiend,  as  I  think,  inspired  him  with  a  contrivance 
to  render  them  unfit  for  human  use.  You  shall 
judge  yourself  whether  it  was  likely  to  be  sug- 
gested by  a  good  or  an  evil  spirit. 

"  According  to  this  device,  the  gold,  silver,  and 
other  transportable  commodities  being  carried  to 
secret  places  of  safety,  Douglas  caused  the  meat, 
the  malt,  and  other  corn  or  grain,  to  be  brought 
down  into  the  castle  cellar,  where  he  emptied  the 
contents  of  the  sacks  into  one  loathsome  heap, 
striking  out  the  heads  of  the  barrels  and  puncheons, 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  55 

so  as  to  let  the  mingled  drink  run  through  the 
heap  of  meal,  grain,  and  so  forth.  The  bullocks 
provided  for  slaughter  were  in  like  manner  knocked 
on  the  head,  and  their  blood  suffered  to  drain  into 
the  mass  of  edible  substances ;  and  lastly,  the  flesh 
of  these  oxen  was  buried  in  the  same  mass,  in 
which  was  also  included  the  dead  bodies  of  those 
in  the  castle,  who,  receiving  no  quarter  from  the 
Douglas,  paid  dear  enough  for  having  kept  no 
better  watch.  This  base  and  unworthy  abuse  of 
provisions  intended  for  the  use  of  man,  together 
with  throwing  into  the  well  of  the  castle  carcasses 
of  men  and  horses,  and  other  filth  for  polluting 
the  same,  has  since  that  time  been  called  the 
Douglas  Larder.  " 

"  I  pretend  not,  good  Sir  Aymer, "  said  the  min- 
strel, "  to  vindicate  what  you  justly  reprove,  nor 
can  I  conceive  any  mode  of  rendering  provisions 
arranged  after  the  form  of  the  Douglas  Larder, 
proper  for  the  use  of  any  Christian  ;  yet  this  young 
gentleman  might  perhaps  act  under  the  sting  of 
natural  resentment,  rendering  his  singular  exploit 
more  excusable  than  it  may  seem  at  first.  Think, 
if  your  own  noble  father  had  just  died  in  a  lin- 
gering captivity,  his  inheritance  seized  upon,  and 
occupied  as  a  garrison  by  a  foreign  enemy,  would 
not  these  things  stir  you  to  a  mode  of  resentment 
which  in  cold  blood,  and  judging  of  it  as  the  action 
of  an  enemy,  your  honour  might  hold  in  natural 
and  laudable  abhorrence  ?  —  Would  you  pay  respect 
to  dead  and  senseless  objects,  which  no  one  could 
blame  your  appropriating  to  your  own  use,  or  even 
scruple  the  refusal  of  quarter  to  prisoners,  which 
is  so  often  practised  even  in  wars  which  are  other- 
wise termed  fair  and  humane  ?  " 


S6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  You  press  me  close,  minstrel, "  said  Aymer  do 
Valence.  "  I  at  least  have  no  great  interest  to 
excuse  the  Douglas  in  this  matter,  since  its  con- 
sequences were,  that  I  myself,  and  the  rest  of  my 
uncle's  host,  laboured  with  Clifford  and  his  army 
to  rebuild  this  same  Dangerous  Castle  ;  and  feeling 
no  stomach  for  the  cheer  that  the  Douglas  had  left 
us,  we  suffered  hard  commons,  though  I  acknow- 
ledge we  did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  for  our  own  use 
such  sheep  and  oxen  as  the  miserable  Scots  had 
still  left  around  their  farm-houses ;  and  I  jest  not. 
Sir  Minstrel,  when  I  acknowledge  in  sad  earnest 
that  we  martial  men  ought  to  make  our  petitions 
with  peculiar  penitence  to  Heaven  for  mercy,  when 
we  reflect  on  the  various  miseries  which  the  nature 
of  our  profession  compels  us  to  inflict  upon  each 
other. " 

"  It  seems  to  me, "  answered  the  minstrel,  "  that 
those  who  feel  the  stings  of  their  own  conscience 
should  be  more  lenient  when  they  speak  of  the 
offences  of  others ;  nor  do  I  greatly  rely  on  a  sort 
of  prophecy  which  was  delivered,  as  the  men  of 
this  hill  district  say,  to  the  young  Douglas,  by  a 
man  who  in  the  course  of  nature  should  have  been 
long  since  dead,  promising  him  a  course  of  success 
against  the  English  for  having  sacrificed  his  own 
castle  to  prevent  their  making  it  a  garrison. " 

"  We  have  time  enough  for  the  story, "  said  Sir 
Aymer,  "  and  methinks  it  would  suit  a  knight  and 
a  minstrel  better  than  the  grave  converse  we  have 
hitherto  held,  which  would  have  beseemed  —  so 
God  save  me  —  the  mouths  of  two  travelling 
friars. " 

"  So  be  it, "  said  the  minstrel ;  "  the  rote  or  the 
viol  easily  changes  its  time  and  varies  its  note. " 


CHAPTEE  V. 

A  tale  of  sorrow,  for  your  eyes  may  weep ; 
A  tale  of  horror,  for  your  flesh  may  tingle; 
A  tale  of  wonder,  for  the  eyebrows  arch, 
And  the  flesh  curdles  if  you  read  it  rightly. 

Old  Play.      , 

"  Your  honour  must  be  informed,  gentle  Sir  Aymer 
de  Valence,  that  I  have  heard  this  story  told  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  land  in  which  it  happened, 
by  a  sworn  minstrel,  the  ancient  friend  and  ser- 
vant of  the  House  of  Douglas,  one  of  the  best,  it 
is  said,  who  ever  belonged  to  that  noble  family. 
This  minstrel,  Hugo  Hugonet  by  name,  attended 
his  young  master  when  on  this  fierce  exploit,  as 
was  his  wont. 

"  The  castle  was  in  total  tumult ;  in  one  corner 
the  war-men  were  busy  breaking  up  and  destroying 
provisions ;  in  another,  they  were  slaying  men, 
horses,  and  cattle,  and  these  actions  were  accom- 
panied with  appropriate  sounds.  The  cattle,  par- 
ticularly, had  become  sensible  of  their  impending 
fate,  and,  with  awkward  resistance  and  piteous 
cries,  testified  that  reluctance  with  which  these 
poor  creatures  look  instinctively  on  the  shambles. 
The  groans  and  screams  of  men,  undergoing,  or 
about  to  undergo,  the  stroke  of  death,  and  the 
screeches  of  the  poor  horses  which  were  in  mortal 
agony,  formed  a  fearful  chorus.  Hugonet  was 
desirous  to  remove  himself  from  such  unpleasant 
sights  and  sounds;  but  his  master,  the  Douglas, 


58  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

had  been  a  man  of  some  reading,  and  his  old  ser- 
vant was  anxious  to  secure  a  book  of  poetry,  to 
which  he  had  been  attached  of  old.  This  con- 
tained the  Lays  of  an  ancient  Scottish  Bard,  who, 
if  an  ordinary  human  creature  while  he  was  in 
this  life,  cannot  now  perhaps  be  exactly  termed 
such. 

"  He  was,  in  short,  that  Thomas,  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  the  Khymer,(&)  and  whose  inti- 
paacy,  it  is  said,  became  so  great  with  the  gifted 
people,  called  the  Faery  folk,  that  he  could,  like 
them,  foretell  the  future  deed  before  it  came  to 
pass,  and  united  in  his  own  person  the  quality  of 
bard  and  of  soothsayer.  But  of  late  years  he  had 
vanished  almost  entirely  from  this  mortal  scene ; 
and  although  the  time  and  manner  of  his  death 
were  never  publicly  known,  yet  the  general  belief 
was,  that  he  was  not  severed  from  the  land  of  the 
living,  but  removed  to  the  land  of  Faery,  from 
whence  he  sometimes  made  excursions,  and  con- 
cerned himself  only  about  matters  which  were  to 
come  hereafter.  Hugonet  was  the  more  earnest  to 
prevent  the  loss  of  the  works  of  this  ancient  bard, 
as  many  of  his  poems  and  predictions  were  said  to 
be  preserved  in  the  castle,  and  were  supposed  to 
contain  much  especially  connected  with  the  old 
House  of  Douglas,  as  well  as  other  families  of 
ancient  descent,  who  had  been  subjects  of  this  old 
man's  prophecy;  and  accordingly  he  determined 
to  save  this  volume  from  destruction  in  the  general 
conflagration  to  which  the  building  was  about  to 
be  consigned  by  the  heir  of  its  ancient  proprietors. 
With  this  view  he  hurried  up  into  the  little  old 
vaulted  room,  called  'the  Douglas's  study,'  in 
which   there   might    be    some    dozen    old    books 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  59 

written  by  the  ancient  chaplains,  in  what  the 
minstrels  call  the  letter  hlach.  He  immediately 
discovered  the  celebrated  lay,  called  Sir  Tristrem, 
which  has  been  so  often  altered  and  abridged  as  to 
bear  little  resemblance  to  the  original.  Hugonet, 
who  well  knew  the  value  in  which  this  poem  was 
held  by  the  ancient  lords  of  the  castle,  took  the 
parchment  volume  from  the  shelves  of  the  library, 
and  laid  it  upon  a  small  desk  adjacent  to  the 
Baron's  chair.  Having  made  such  preparation  for 
putting  it  in  safety,  he  fell  into  a  brief  reverie,  in 
which  the  decay  of  light,  and  the  preparations  for 
the  Douglas  Larder,  but  especially  the  last  sight 
of  objects  which  had  been  familiar  to  his  eyes, 
now  on  the  eve  of  destruction,  engaged  him  at  that 
moment. 

"  The  bard,  therefore,  was  thinking  within  him- 
self upon  the  uncommon  mixture  of  the  mystical 
scholar  and  warrior  in  his  old  master,  when,  as  he 
bent  his  eyes  upon  the  book  of  the  ancient  Ehymer, 
he  was  astonished  to  observe  it  slowly  removed 
from  the  desk  on  which  it  lay  by  an  invisible 
hand.  The  old  man  looked  with  horror  at  the 
spontaneous  motion  of  the  book,  for  the  safety  of 
which  he  was  interested,  and  had  the  courage  to 
approach  a  little  nearer  the  table,  in  order  to  dis- 
cover by  what  means  it  had  been  withdrawn. 

"  I  have  said  the  room  was  already  becoming 
dark,  so  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  distinguish  any 
person  in  the  chair,  though  it  now  appeared,  on 
closer  examination,  that  a  kind  of  shadowy  out- 
line of  a  human  form  was  seated  in  it,  but  neither 
precise  enough  to  convey  its  exact  figure  to  the 
mind,  nor  so  detailed  as  to  intimate  distinctly  its 
mode  of  action.     The  Bard  of  Douglas,  therefore. 


6o  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

gazed  upon  the  object  of  his  fear,  as  if  he  had 
looked  upon  something  not  mortal ;  nevertheless, 
as  he  gazed  more  intently,  he  became  more  capable 
of  discovering  the  object  which  offered  itself  to  his 
eyes,  and  they  grew  by  degrees  more  keen  to  pene- 
trate what  they  witnessed.  A  tall  thin  form, 
attired  in,  or  rather  shaded  with,  a  long  flowing 
dusky  robe,  having  a  face  and  physiognomy  so 
wild  and  overgrown  with  hair  as  to  be  hardly 
human,  were  the  only  marked  outlines  of  the 
phantom ;  and,  looking  more  attentively,  Hugonet 
was  still  sensible  of  two  other  forms,  the  outlines, 
it  seemed,  of  a  hart  and  a  hind,  which  appeared 
half  to  shelter  themselves  behind  the  person  and 
under  the  robe  of  this  supernatural  figure. " 

"  A  probable  tale, "  said  the  knight,  "  for  you, 
Sir  Minstrel,  a  man  of  sense  as  you  seem  to  be,  to 
recite  so  gravely !  From  what  wise  authority  have 
you  had  this  tale,  which,  though  it  might  pass 
well  enough  amid  clanging  beakers,  must  be 
held  quite  apocryphal  in  the  sober  hours  of  the 
morning  ? " 

"  By  my  minstrel  word,  Sir  Knight, "  answered 
Bertram,  "  I  am  no  propagator  of  the  fable,  if  it  be 
one;  Hugonet,  the  violer,  when  he  had  retired 
into  a  cloister  near  the  Lake  of  Pembelmere  in 
Wales,  communicated  the  story  to  me  as  I  now 
tell  it.  Therefore,  as  it  was  upon  the  authority 
of  an  eyewitness,  I  apologise  not  for  relating  it  to 
you,  since  I  could  hardly  discover  a  more  direct 
source  of  knowledge. " 

"  Be  it  so.  Sir  Minstrel, "  said  the  knight ;  "  tell 
on  thy  tale,  and  may  thy  legend  escape  criticism 
from  others  as  well  as  from  me." 

"  Hugonet,  Sir  Knight, "  answered  Bertram,  "  was 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  6i 

a  holy  man,  and  maintained  a  fair  character  during 
his  whole  life,  notwithstanding  his  trade  may  be 
esteemed  a  light  one.  The  vision  spoke  to  him  in 
an  antique  language,  like  that  formerly  used  in 
the  kingdom  of  Strath-Clyde,  being  a  species  of 
Scots  or  Gaelic,  which  few  would  have  compre- 
hended. 

"  'You  are  a  learned  man,'  said  the  apparition, 
'  and  not  unacquainted  with  the  dialects  used  in 
your  country  formerly,  although  they  are  now  out 
of  date,  and  you  are  obliged  to  translate  them  into 
the  vulgar  Saxon  of  Deira  or  Northumberland ;  but 
highly  must  an  ancient  British  bard  prize  one  in 
this  "  remote  term  of  time, "  who  sets  upon  the 
poetry  of  his  native  country  a  value  which  invites 
him  to  think  of  its  preservation  at  a  moment  of 
such  terror  as  influences  the  present  evening. ' 

"  '  It  is,  indeed, '  said  Hugonet,  '  a  night  of 
terror,  that  calls  even  the  dead  from  the  grave, 
and  makes  them  the  ghastly  and  fearful  com- 
panions of  the  living  —  Who  or  what  art  thou,  in 
God's  name,  who  breakest  the  bounds  which  divide 
them,  and  revisitest  thus  strangely  the  state  thou 
hast  so  long  bid  adieu  to  ? ' 

"  *  I  am, '  replied  the  vision,  '  that  celebrated 
Thomas  the  Ehymer,  by  some  called  Thomas  of 
Erceldoun,  or  Thomas  the  True  Speaker.  Like 
other  sages,  I  am  permitted  at  times  to  revisit  the 
scenes  of  my  former  life,  nor  am  I  incapable  of  re- 
moving the  shadowy  clouds  and  darkness  which  over- 
hang futurity ;  and  know,  thou  afflicted  man,  that 
what  thou  now  seest  in  this  woful  country  is  not 
a  general  emblem  of  what  shall  therein  befall  here- 
after, but  in  proportion  as  the  Douglases  are  now 
suffering  the  loss  and  destruction  of  their  home  for 


62  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

their  loyalty  to  the  rightful  heir  of  the  Scottish 
kingdom,  so  hath  Heaven  appointed  for  them  a 
just  reward ;  and  as  they  have  not  spared  to  burn 
and  destroy  their  own  house  and  .that  of  their 
fathers  in  the  Bruce 's  cause,  so  is  it  the  doom  of 
Heaven,  that  as  often  as  the  walls  of  Douglas 
Castle  shall  be  burnt  to  the  ground,  they  shall  be 
again  rebuilt  still  more  stately  and  more  magnifi- 
cent than  before. ' 

"  A  cry  was  now  heard  like  that  of  a  multitude 
in  the  courtyard,  joining  in  a  fierce  shout  of 
exultation;  at  the  same  time  a  broad  and  ruddy 
glow  seemed  to  burst  from  the  beams  and  rafters, 
and  sparks  flew  from  them  as  from  the  smith's 
stithy,  while  the  element  caught  to  its  fuel,  and 
the  conflagration  broke  its  way  through  every 
aperture. 

"  *  See  ye  that  ? '  said  the  vision,  casting  his  eye 
towards  the  windows,  and  disappearing.  —  '  Be- 
gone !  The  fated  hour  of  removing  this  book  is 
not  yet  come,  nor  are  thine  the  destined  hands. 
But  it  will  be  safe  where  I  have  placed  it,  and  the 
time  of  its  removal  shall  come. '  The  voice  was 
heard  after  the  form  had  vanished,  and  the  brain 
of  Hugonet  almost  turned  round  at  the  wild  scene 
which  he  beheld ;  his  utmost  exertion  was  scarcely 
sufficient  to  withdraw  him  from  the  terrible  spot, 
and  Douglas  Castle  that  night  sank  into  ashes  and 
smoke,  to  arise,  in  no  great  length  of  time,  in  a 
form  stronger  than  ever. "  The  minstrel  stopped, 
and  his  hearer,  the  English  knight,  remained 
silent  for  some  minutes,  ere  at  length  he  replied. 

"  It  is  true,  minstrel, "  answered  Sir  Aymer, 
"  that  your  tale  is  so  far  undeniable,  that  this 
castle  —  three  times  burned  down  by  the  heir  of 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  63 

the  house  and  of  the  barony  —  has  hitherto  been 
as  often  reared  again  by  Henry  Lord  Clifford,  and 
other  generals  of  the  English,  who  endeavoured  on 
every  occasion. to  build  it  up  more  artificially  and 
more  strongly  than  it  had  formerly  existed,  since 
it  occupies  a  position  too  important  to  the  safety 
of  our  Scottish  border  to  permit  our  yielding  it  up. 
This  I  myself  have  partly  witnessed.  But  I  can- 
not think  that,  because  the  castle  has  been  so 
destroyed,  it  is  therefore  decreed  so  to  be  repaired 
in  future,  considering  that  such  cruelties,  as  surely 
cannot  meet  the  approbation  of  Heaven,  have  at- 
tended the  feats  of  the  Douglases.  But  I  see 
thou  art  determined  to  keep  thine  own  faith,  nor 
can  I  blame  thee,  since  the  wonderful  turns  of  fate 
which  have  attended  this  fortress  are  sufficient  to 
warrant  any  one  to  watch  for  what  seem  the  pecu- 
liar indications  of  the  will  of  Heaven;  but  thou 
mayst  believe,  good  minstrel,  that  the  fault  shall 
not  be  mine,  if  the  young  Douglas  shall  have 
opportunity  to  exercise  his  cookery  upon  a  second 
edition  of  his  family  larder,  or  to  profit  by  the 
predictions  of  Thomas  the  Ehymer. " 

"  I  do  not  doubt  due  circumspection  upon  your 
own  part  and  Sir  John  de  Walton's, "  said  Bertram  : 
"  but  there  is  no  crime  in  my  saying  that  Heaven 
can  accomplish  its  own  purposes.  I  look  upon 
Douglas  Castle  as  in  some  degree  a  fated  place, 
and  I  long  to  see  what  changes  time  may  have 
made  in  it  during  the  currency  of  twenty  years. 
Above  all,  I  desire  to  secure,  if  possible,  the 
volume  of  this  Thomas  of  Erceldoun,  having  in  it 
such  a  fund  of  forgotten  minstrelsy,  and  of  prophe- 
cies respecting  the  future  fates  of  the  British  king- 
dom, both  northern  and  southern. " 


64  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

The  knight  made  no  answer,  but  rode  a  little 
space  forward,  keeping  the  upper  part  of  the  ridge 
of  the  water,  by  which  the  road  down  the  vale 
seemed  to  be  rather  sharply  conducted.  It  at 
length  attained  the  summit  of  an  acclivity  of  con- 
siderable length.  From  this  point,  and  behind  a 
conspicuous  rock,  which  appeared  to  have  been 
pushed  aside,  as  it  were,  like  the  scene  of  a  theatre, 
to  admit  a  view  of  the  under  part  of  the  valley, 
the  travellers  beheld  the  extensive  vale,  parts  of 
which  have  been  already  shown  in  detail,  but 
which,  as  the  river  became  narrower,  was  now 
entirely  laid  bare  in  its  height  and  depth  as  far  as 
it  extended,  and  displayed  in  its  precincts,  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  course  of  the  stream,  the 
towering  and  lordly  castle  to  which  it  gave  the 
name.  The  mist  which  continued  to  incumber 
the  valley  with  its  fleecy  clouds  showed  imper- 
fectly the  rude  fortifications  which  served  to  defend 
the  small  town  of  Douglas,  which  was  strong 
enough  to  repel  a  desultory  attack,  but  not  to 
withstand  what  was  called  in  those  days  a  formal 
siege.  The  most  striking  feature  was  its  church, 
an  ancient  Gothic  pile  raised  on  an  eminence  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  and  even  then  extremely 
ruinous.  To  the  left,  and  lying  in  the  distance, 
might  be  seen  other  towers  and  battlements ;  and, 
divided  from  the  town  by  a  piece  of  artificial 
water,  which  extended  almost  around  it,  arose  the 
Dangerous  Castle  of  Douglas,  (c) 

Sternly  was  it  fortified,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
middle  ages,  with  donjon  and  battlements;  dis- 
playing, above  others,  the  tall  tower,  which  bore 
the  name  of  Lord  Henry's,  or  the  Clifford's  Tower. 

"  Yonder  is  the  castle, "  said  Aymer  de  Valence, 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  65 

extending  his  arm,  with  a  smile  of  triumph  upon 
his  brow;  "  thou  mayst  judge  thyself,  whether  the 
defences  added  to  it  under  the  Clifford  are  likely 
to  render  its  next  capture  a  more  easy  deed  than 
the  last. " 

The  minstrel  (d)  barely  shook  his  head,  and 
quoted  from  the  Psalmist  —  "  Msi  Dominus  custo- 
diet. "  Nor  did  he  prosecute  the  discourse,  though 
De  Valence  answered  eagerly,  "  My  own  edition 
of  the  text  is  not  very  different  from  thine ;  but, 
methinks,  thou  art  more  spiritually  minded  than 
can  always  be  predicated  of  a  wandering  minstrel.  " 

"  God  knows, "  said  Bertram,  "  that  if  I,  or  such 
as  I,  are  forgetful  of  the  finger  of  Providence  in 
accomplishing  its  purposes  in  this  lower  world, 
we  have  heavier  blame  than  that  of  other  people, 
since  we  are  perpetually  called  upon,  in  the  exer- 
cise of  our  fanciful  profession,  to  admire  the  turns 
of  fate  which  bring  good  out  of  evil,  and  which 
render  those  who  think  only  of  their  own  pas- 
sions and  purposes  the  executors  of  the  will  of 
Heaven. " 

"  I  do  submit  to  what  you  say.  Sir  Minstrel, " 
answered  the  knight,  "  and  it  would  be  unlawful 
to  express  any  doubt  of  the  truths  which  you 
speak  so  solemnly,  any  more  than  of  yOur  own 
belief  in  them.  Let  me  add,  sir,  that  I  think  I 
have  power  enough  in  this  garrison  to  bid  you  wel- 
come, and  Sir  John  de  Walton,  I  hope,  will  not 
refuse  access  to  hall,  castle,  or  knight's  bower,  to 
a  person  of  your  profession,  and  by  whose  conver- 
sation we  shall,  perhaps,  profit  somewhat.  I  can- 
not, however,  lead  you  to  expect  such  indulgence 
for  your  son,  considering  the  present  state  of  his 
health;   but   if   I   procure   him   the   privilege   to 


66  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

remain  at  the  convent  of  St.  Bride,  he  will  be 
there  unmolested  and  in  safety,  until  you  have 
renewed  your  acquaintance  with  Douglas  Dale  and 
its  history,  and  are  disposed  to  set  forward  on 
your  journey. " 

"  I  embrace  your  honour's  proposal  the  more 
willingly, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  that  I  can  recom- 
pense the  Father  Abbot. " 

"  A  main  point  with  holy  men  or  women, " 
replied  De  Valence,  "  who,  in  time  of  warfare, 
subsist  by  affording  the  visitors  of  their  shrine 
the  means  of  maintenance  in  their  cloisters  for 
a  passing  season. " 

The  party  now  approached  the  sentinels  on 
guard  at  the  castle,  who  were  closely  and  thickly 
stationed,  and  who  respectfully  admitted  Sir  Aymer 
de  Valence,  as  next  in  command  under  Sir  John 
de  Walton.  Fabian  —  for  so  was  the  young  squire 
named  who  attended  on  De  Valence  —  mentioned 
it  as  his  master's  pleasure  that  the  minstrel  should 
also  be  admitted. 

An  old  archer,  however,  looked  hard  at  the  min- 
strel as  he  followed  Sir  Aymer.  "  It  is  not  for 
us, "  said  he,  "  or  any  of  our  degree,  to  oppose  the 
pleasure  of  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  nephew  to  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  in  such  a  matter;  and  for  us, 
Master  Fabian,  welcome  are  you  to  make  the  glee- 
man  your  companion  both  at  bed  and  board,  as 
well  as  your  visitant,  a  week  or  two  at  the  Castle 
of  Douglas ;  but  your  worship  is  well  aware  of  the 
strict  order  of  watch  laid  upon  us,  and  if  Solo- 
mon, King  of  Israel,  were  to  come  here  as  a  tra- 
velling minstrel,  by  my  faith  I  durst  not  give  him 
entrance,  unless  I  had  positive  authority  from  Sir 
John  de  Walton. " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  67 

"  Do  you  doubt,  sirrah, "  said  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence,  who  returned  on  hearing  an  altercation 
betwixt  Fabian  and  the  archer  —  "  do  you  doubt 
that  I  have  good  authority  to  entertain  a  guest,  or 
do  you  presume  to  contest  it  ?  " 

"  Heaven  forbid !  "  said  the  old  man,  "  that  I 
should  presume  to  place  my  own  desire  in  opposi- 
tion to  your  worship,  who  has  so  lately  and  so 
honourably  acquired  your  spurs :  but  in  this  mat- 
ter I  must  think  what  will  be  the  wish  of  Sir  John 
de  Walton,  who  is  your  governor.  Sir  Knight,  as 
well  as  mine ;  and  so  far  I  hold  it  worth  while  to 
detain  your  guest  until  Sir  John  return  from  a  ride 
to  the  outposts  of  the  castle;  and  this,  I  conceive, 
being  my  duty,  will  be  no  matter  of  offence  to  your 
worship. " 

"Methinks, "  said  the  knight,  "it  is  saucy  in 
thee  to  suppose  that  my  commands  can  have  any- 
thing in  them  improper,  or  contradictory  to  those 
of  Sir  John  de  Walton ;  thou  mayst  trust  to  me  at 
least  that  thou  shalt  come  to  no  harm.  Keep 
this  man  in  the  guard-room;  let  him  not  want 
good  cheer,  and  when  Sir  John  de  Walton  returns, 
report  him  as  a  person  admitted  by  my  invitation, 
and  if  anything  more  be  wanted  to  make  out  your 
excuse,  I  shall  not  be  reluctant  in  stating  it  to  the 
governor. " 

The  archer  made  a  signal  of  obedience  with  the 
pike  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  resumed  the 
grave  and  solemn  manner  of  a  sentinel  upon  his 
post.  He  first,  however,  ushered  in  the  minstrel, 
and  furnished  him  with  food  and  liquor,  speaking 
at  the  same  time  to  Fabian,  who  remained  behind. 
The  smart  young  stripling  had  become  very  proud 
of  late,  in  consequence  of  obtaining  the  name  of 


68  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Sir  Aymer's  squire,  and  advancing  a  step  in 
chivalry,  as  Sir  Aymer  himself  had,  somewhat 
earlier  than  the  usual  period,  been  advanced  from 
squire  to  knight. 

"  I  tell  thee,  Fabian, "  said  the  old  archer  (whose 
gravity,  sagacity,  and  skill  in  his  vocation,  while 
they  gained  him  the  confidence  of  all  in  the  castle, 
subjected  him,  as  he  himself  said,  occasionally  to 
the  ridicule  of  the  young  coxcombs ;  and  at  the 
same  time,  we  may  add,  rendered  him  somewhat 
pragmatic  and  punctilious  towards  those  who  stood 
higher  than  himself  in  birth  and  rank)  —  "I  tell 
thee,  Fabian,  thou  wilt  do  thy  master.  Sir  Aymer, 
good  service,  if  thou  wilt  give  him  a  hint  to  suffer 
an  old  archer,  man-at-arms,  or  such  like,  to  give 
him  a  fair  and  civil  answer  respecting  that  which 
he  commands  ;  for  undoubtedly  it  is  not  in  the  first 
score  of  a  man's  years  that  he  learns  the  various 
proper  forms  of  military  service ;  and  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  a  most  excellent  commander  no  doubt,  is 
one  earnestly  bent  on  pursuing  the  strict  line  of 
his  duty,  and  will  be  rigorously  severe,  as  well, 
believe  me,  with  thy  master  as  with  a  lesser  per- 
son. Nay,  he  also  possesses  that  zeal  for  his  duty 
which  induces  him  to  throw  blame,  if  there  be  the 
slightest  ground  for  it,  upon  Aymer  de  Valence 
himself,  although  his  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
was  Sir  John  de  Walton's  steady  patron,  and  laid 
the  beginning  of  his  good  fortune ;  for  all  which, 
by  training  up  his  nephew  in  the  true  discipline 
of  the  French  wars,  Sir  John  has  taken  the  best 
way  of  showing  himself  grateful  to  the  old  Earl. " 

"  Be  it  as  you  will,  old  Gilbert  Greenleaf, "  an- 
swered Fabian,  "  thou  knowest  I  never  quarrel 
with  thy  sermonising,  and  therefore  give  me  credit 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  69 

for  submitting  to  many  a  lecture  from  Sir  John  de 
Walton  and  thyself ;  but  thou  drivest  this  a  little 
too  far,  if  thou  canst  not  let  a  day  pass  without 
giving  me  a  flogging.  Credit  me,  Sir  John  de 
Walton  will  not  thank  thee,  if  thou  term  him  one 
too  old  to  remember  that  he  himself  had  once  some 
green  sap  in  his  veins.  Ay,  thus  it  is,  the  old 
man  will  not  forget  that  he  has  once  been  young, 
nor  the  young  that  he  must  some  day  be  old ;  and 
so  the  one  changes  his  manners  into  the  lingering 
formality  of  advanced  age,  and  the  other  remains 
like  a  midsummer  torrent  swollen  with  rain,  every 
drop  of  water  in  it  noise,  froth,  and  overflow. 
There  is  a  maxim  for  thee,  Gilbert !  —  Heardest 
thou  ever  better  ?  Hang  it  up  amidst  thy  axioms 
of  wisdom,  and  see  if  it  will  not  pass  among  them 
like  fifteen  to  the  dozen.  It  will  serve  to  bring 
thee  off,  man,  when  the  wine-pot  (thine  only 
fault,  good  Gilbert)  hath  brought  thee  on  occasion 
into  something  of  a  scrape. " 

"  Best  keep  it  for  thyself,  good  Sir  Squire, "  said 
the  old  man ;  "  methinks  it  is  more  like  to  stand 
thyself  one  day  in  good  stead.  Who  ever  heard  of 
a  knight,  or  of  the  wood  of  which  a  knight  is  made, 
and  that  is  a  squire,  being  punished  corporally 
like  a  poor  old  archer  or  horseboy  ?  Your  worst 
fault  will  be  mended  by  some  of  these  witty  say- 
ings, and  your  best  service  will  scarce  be  rewarded 
more  thankfully  than  by  giving  thee  the  name  of 
Fabian  the  Fabler,  or  some  such  witty  title. " 

Having  unloosed  his  repartee  to  this  extent, 
old  Greenleaf  resumed  a  certain  acidity  of  counte- 
nance, which  may  be  said  to  characterise  those 
whose  preferment  hath  become  frozen  under  the 
influence  of  the  slowness  of  its  progress,  and  who 


70  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

display  a  general  spleen  against  such  as  have 
obtained  the  advancement  for  which  all  are  strug- 
gling, earlier,  and,  as  they  suppose,  with  less  merit 
than  their  own.  From  time  to  time  the  eye  of  the 
old  sentinel  stole  from  the  top  of  his  pike,  and 
with  an  air  of  triumph  rested  upon  the  young  man 
Fabian,  as  if  to  see  how  deeply  the  wound  had 
galled  him,  while  at  the  same  time  he  held  him- 
self on  the  alert  to  perform  whatever  mechanical 
duty  his  post  might  require.  Both  Fabian  and 
his  master  were  at  the  happy  period  of  life  when 
such  discontent  as  that  of  the  grave  archer  affected 
them  lightly,  and,  at  the  very  worst,  was  con- 
sidered as  the  jest  of  an  old  man  and  a  good 
soldier;  the  more  especially,  as  he  was  always 
willing  to  do  the  duty  of  his  companions,  and  was 
much  trusted  by  Sir  John  de  Walton,  who,  though 
very  much  younger,  had  been  bred  up  like  Green- 
leaf  in  the  wars  of  Edward  the  First,  and  was 
tenacious  in  upholding  strict  discipline,  which, 
since  the  death  of  that  great  monarch,  had  been 
considerably  neglected  by  the  young  and  warm- 
blooded valour  of  England. 

Meantime  it  occurred  to  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence, 
that  though,  in  displaying  the  usual  degree  of 
hospitality  shown  to  such  a  man  as  Bertram,  he 
had  merely  done  what  was  becoming  his  own 
rank,  as  one  possessed  of  the  highest  honours  of 
chivalry,  the  self-styled  minstrel  might  not  in 
reality  be  a  man  of  that  worth  which  he  assumed. 
There  was  certainly  something  in  his  conversation, 
at  least  more  grave,  if  not  more  austere,  than  was 
common  to  those  of  his  calling;  and  when  he 
recollected  many  points  of  Sir  John  de  Walton's 
minuteness,  a  doubt  arose  in  his  mind,  that  the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  71 

governor  might  not  approve  of  his  having  intro- 
duced into  the  castle  a  person  of  Bertram's  charac- 
ter, who  was  capable  of  making  observations  from 
which  the  garrison  might  afterwards  feel  much 
danger  and  inconvenience.  Secretly,  therefore,  he 
regretted  that  he  had  not  fairly  intimated  to  the 
wandering  minstrel,  that  his  reception,  or  that  of 
any  stranger,  within  the  Dangerous  Castle  was  not 
at  present  permitted  by  the  circumstances  of  the 
times.  In  this  case,  the  express  line  of  his  duty 
would  have  been  his  vindication,  and  instead, 
perhaps,  of  discountenance  and  blame,  he  would 
have  had  praise  and  honour  from  his  superior. 

With  these  thoughts  passing  through  his  mind, 
some  tacit  apprehension  arose  of  a  rebuke  on  the 
part  of  his  commanding  officer;  for  this  officer, 
notwithstanding  his  strictness.  Sir  Aymer  loved  as 
well  as  feared.  He  went,  therefore,  towards  the 
guard-room  of  the  castle,  under  the  pretence  of 
seeing  that  the  rites  of  hospitality  had  been  duly 
observed  towards  his  late  travelling-companion. 
The  minstrel  arose  respectfully,  and  from  the 
manner  in  which  he  paid  his  compliments,  seemed, 
if  he  had  not  expected  this  call  of  inquiry,  at 
least  to  be  in  no  degree  surprised  at  it.  Sir 
Aymer,  on  the  other  hand,  assumed  an  air  some- 
thing more  distant  than  he  had  yet  used  towards 
Bertram,  and  in  reverting  to  his  former  invitation 
he  now  so  far  qualified  it  as  to  say  that  the  min- 
strel knew  that  he  was  only  second  in  command, 
and  that  effectual  permission  to  enter  the  castle 
ought  to  be  sanctioned  by  Sir  John  de  Walton. 

There  is  a  civil  way  of  seeming  to  believe  any 
apology  which  people  are  disposed  to  receive  in 
payment,  without  alleging   suspicion  of   its   cur- 


72  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

rency.  The  minstrel,  therefore,  tendered  his  thanks 
for  the  civility  which  had  so  far  been  shown  to 
him.  "  It  was  a  mere  wish  of  passing  curiosity, " 
he  said,  "  which,  if  not  granted,  could  be  attended 
with  no  consequences  either  inconvenient  or  disa- 
greeable to  him.  Thomas  of  Erceldoun  was,  ac- 
cording to  the  Welsh  triads,  one  of  the  three  hards 
of  Britain,  who  never  stained  a  spear  with  blood, 
or  was  guilty  either  of  taking  or  retaking  castles 
and  fortresses,  and  thus  far  not  a  person  likely, 
after  death,  to  be  suspected  of  such  warlike  feats. 
But  I  can  easily  conceive  why  Sir  John  de  Walton 
should  have  allowed  the  usual  rites  of  hospitality 
to  fall  into  disuse,  and  why  a  man  of  public  cha- 
racter like  myself  ought  not  to  desire  food  or  lodg- 
ing where  it  is  accounted  so  dangerous ;  and  it  can 
surprise  no  one  why  the  governor  did  not  even 
invest  his  worthy  young  lieutenant  with  the  power 
of  dispensing  with  so  strict  and  unusual  a  rule. " 

These  words,  very  coolly  spoken,  had  something 
of  the  effect  of  affronting  the  young  knight,  as 
insinuating  that  he  was  not  held  sufficiently  trust- 
worthy by  Sir  John  de  Walton,  with  whom  he  had 
lived  on  terms  of  affection  and  familiarity,  though 
the  governor  had  attained  his  thirtieth  year  and 
upwards,  and  his  lieutenant  did  not  yet  write  him- 
self one-and-twenty,  the  full  age  of  chivalry  having 
been  in  his  case  particularly  dispensed  with, 
owing  to  a  feat  of  early  manhood.  Ere  he  had 
fully  composed  the  angry  thoughts  which  were 
chafing  in  his  mind,  the  sound  of  a  hunting-bugle 
was  heard  at  the  gate,  and,  from  the  sort  of  general 
stir  which  it  spread  through  the  garrison,  it  was 
plain  that  the  governor  had  returned  from  his  ride. 
Every  sentinel,  seemingly  animated  by  his  pre- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  73 

sence,  shouldered  his  pike  more  uprightly,  gave 
the  word  of  the  post  more  sharply,  and  seemed 
more  fully  awake  and  conscious  of  his  duty.  Sir 
John  de  Walton,  having  alighted  from  his  horse, 
asked  Greenleaf  what  had  passed  during  his 
absence.  The  old  archer  thought  it  his  duty  to 
say  that  a  minstrel,  who  seemed  like  a  Scotchman, 
or  wandering  borderer,  had  been  admitted  into  the 
castle,  while  his  son,  a  lad  sick  of  the  pestilence 
so  much  talked  of,  had  been  left  for  a  time  at  the 
Abbey  of  St.  Bride.  This  he  said  on  Fabian's 
information.  The  archer  added,  that  the  father 
was  a  man  of  tale  and  song,  who  could  keep  the 
whole  garrison  amused,  without  giving  them  leave 
to  attend  to  their  own  business. 

"  We  want  no  such  devices  to  pass  the  time, " 
answered  the  governor ;  "  and  we  would  have  been 
better  satisfied  if  our  lieutenant  had  been  pleased 
to  find  us  other  guests,  and  fitter  for  a  direct  and 
frank  communication,  than  one  who,  by  his  pro- 
fession, is  a  detractor  of  God  and  a  deceiver  of 
man. " 

"  Yet,  **  said  the  old  soldier,  who  could  hardly 
listen  even  to  his  commander  without  indulging 
the  humour  of  contradiction,  "  I  have  heard  your 
honour  intimate  that  the  trade  of  a  minstrel,  when 
it  is  justly  acted  up  to,  is  as  worthy  as  even  the 
degree  of  knighthood  itself." 

"  Such  it  may  have  been  in  former  days, "  an- 
swered the  knight ;  "  but  in  modern  minstrelsy, 
the  duty  of  rendering  the  art  an  incentive  to  virtue 
is  forgotten,  and  it  is  well  if  the  poetry  which 
fired  our  fathers  to  noble  deeds  does  not  now  push 
on  their  children  to  such  as  are  base  and  unworthy. 
But  I  will  speak  upon  this  to  my  friend  Aymer, 


74      '  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

than  whom  I  do  not  know  a  more  excellent  or  a 
more  high -spirited  young  man. " 

While  discoursing  with  the  archer  in  this  man- 
ner, Sir  John  de  Walton,  of  a  tall  and  handsome 
figure,  advanced  and  stood  within  the  ample  arch 
of  the  guard-room  chimney,  and  was  listened  to  in 
reverential  silence  by  trusty  Gilbert,  who  filled 
up  with  nods  and  signs,  as  an  attentive  auditor, 
the  pauses  in  the  conversation.  The  conduct  of 
another  hearer  of  what  passed  was  not  equally 
respectful,  but,  from  his  position,  he  escaped 
observation. 

This  third  person  was  no  other  than  the  squire 
Fabian,  who  was  concealed  from  observation  by 
his  position  behind  the  hob,  or  projecting  portion 
of  the  old-fashioned  fireplace,  and  hid  himself  yet 
more  carefully  when  he  heard  the  conversation 
between  the  governor  and  the  archer  turn  to  the 
prejudice,  as  he  thought,  of  his  master.  The 
squire's  employment  at  this  time  was  the  servile 
task  of  cleaning  Sir  Aymer's  arms,  which  was 
conveniently  performed  by  heating,  upon  the  pro- 
jection already  specified,  the  pieces  of  steel  armour 
for  the  usual  thin  coating  of  varnish.  He  could 
not,  therefore,  if  he  should  be  discovered,  be  con- 
sidered as  guilty  of  anything  insolent  or  disre- 
spectful. He  was  better  screened  from  view,  as  a 
thick  smoke  arose  from  a  quantity  of  oak  panel- 
ling, carved  in  many  cases  with  the  crest  and 
achievements  of  the  Douglas  family,  which,  being 
the  fuel  nearest  at  hand,  lay  smouldering  in  the 
chimney,  and  gathering  to  a  blaze. 

The  governor,  unconscious  of  this  addition  to 
his  audience,  pursued  his  conversation  with  Gilbert 
Greenleaf.     "  I  need  not  tell  you, "  he  said,  "  that 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  75 

I  am  interested  in  the  speedy  termination  of  this 
siege  or  blockade,  with  which  Douglas  continues 
to  threaten  us ;  my  own  honour  and  affections  are 
engaged  in  keeping  this  Dangerous  Castle  safe  in 
England's  behalf,  but  I  am  troubled  at  the  admis- 
sion of  this  stranger ;  and  young  De  Valence  would 
have  acted  more  strictly  in  the  line  of  his  duty,  if 
he  had  refused  to  this  wanderer  any  communication 
with  this  garrison  without  my  permission.  " 

"  Pity  it  is, "  replied  old  Greenleaf,  shaking  his 
head,  "  that  this  good-natured  and  gallant  young 
knight  is  somewhat  drawn  aside  by  the  rash 
advices  of  his  squire,  the  boy  Fabian,  who  has 
bravery,  but  as  little  steadiness  in  him  as  a  bottle 
of  fermented  small  beer.  " 

"  Now  hang  thee, "  thought  Fabian  to  himself, 
"  for  an  old  relic  of  the  wars,  stuffed  full  of  conceit 
and  warlike  terms,  like  the  soldier  who,  to  keep 
himself  from  the  cold,  has  lapped  himself  so  close 
in  a  tattered  ensign  for  a  shelter,  that  his  very 
outside  may  show  nothing  but  rags  and  blazonry. " 

"  I  would  not  think  twice  of  the  matter,  were 
the  party  less  dear  to  me,"  said  Sir  John  de 
Walton.  "  But  I  would  fain  be  of  use  to  this 
young  man,  even  although  I  should  purchase  his 
improvement  in  military  knowledge  at  the  expense 
of  giving  him  a  little  pain.  Experience  should, 
as  it  were,  be  burnt  in  upon  the  mind  of  a  young 
man,  and  not  merely  impressed  by  marking  the 
lines  of  his  chart  out  for  him  with  chalk ;  I  will 
remember  the  hint  you,  Greenleaf,  have  given, 
and  take  an  opportunity  of  severing  these  two 
young  men;  and  though  I  most  dearly  love  the 
one,  and  am  far  from  wishing  ill  to  the  other,  yet 
at  present,  as  you  well  hint,  the  blind  is  leading 


76  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  blind,  and  the  young  knight  has  for  his  assis- 
tant and  counsellor  too  young  a  squire,  and  that 
must  be  amended. " 

"  Marry !  out  upon  thee,  old  palmer-worm !  " 
said  the  page  within  himself.  "  Have  I  found 
thee  in  the  very  fact  of  maligning  myself  and  my 
master,  as  it  is  thy  nature  to  do  towards  all  the 
hopeful  young  buds  of  chivalry  ?  If  it  were  not  to 
dirty  the  arms  of  an  eleve  of  chivalry,  by  measuring 
them  with  one  of  thy  rank,  I  might  honour  thee 
with  a  knightly  invitation  to  the  field,  while  the 
scandal  which  thou  hast  spoken  is  still  foul  upon 
thy  tongue ;  as  it  is,  thou  shalt  not  carry  one  kind 
of  language  publicly  in  the  castle,  and  another 
before  the  governor,  upon  the  footing  of  having 
served  with  him  under  the  banner  of  Longshanks. 
I  will  carry  to  my  master  this  tale  of  thine  evil 
intentions ;  and  when  we  have  concerted  together, 
it  shall  appear  whether  the  youthful  spirits  of 
the  garrison  or  the  grey  beards  are  most  likely  to 
be  the  hope  and  protection  of  this  same  Castle  of 
Douglas. " 

It  is  enough  to  say  that  Fabian  pursued  his  pur- 
pose, in  carrying  to  his  master,  and  in  no  very 
good  humour,  the  report  of  what  had  passed  be- 
tween Sir  John  de  Walton  and  the  old  soldier. 
He  succeeded  in  representing  the  whole  as  a  formal 
offence  intended  to  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence ;  while 
all  that  the  governor  did  to  remove  the  suspicions 
entertained  by  the  young  knight  could  not  in  any 
respect  bring  him  to  take  a  kindly  view  of  the 
feelings  of  his  commander  towards  him.  He  re- 
tained the  impression  which  he  had  formed  from 
Fabian's  recital  of  what  he  had  heard,  and  did 
not  think  he  was  doing  Sir  John  de  Walton  any 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  77 

injustice,  in  supposing  him  desirous  to  engross  the 
greatest  share  of  the  fame  acquired  in  the  defence 
of  the  castle,  and  thrusting  back  his  companions, 
who  might  reasonably  pretend  to  a  fair  portion 
of  it. 

The  mother  of  mischief,  says  a  Scottish  proverb, 
is  no  bigger  than  a  midge's  wing.^  In  this  matter 
of  quarrel,  neither  the  young  man  nor  the  older 
knight  had  afforded  each  other  any  just  cause  of 
offence.  De  Walton  was  a  strict  observer  of  mili- 
tary discipline,  in  which  he  had  been  educated  from 
his  extreme  youth,  and  by  which  he  was  almost  as 
completely  ruled  as  by  his  natural  disposition ; 
and  his  present  situation  added  force  to  his  ori- 
ginal education. 

Common  report  had  even  exaggerated  the  mili- 
tary skill,  the  love  of  adventure,  and  the  great 
variety  of  enterprise,  ascribed  to  James,  the  young 
Lord  of  Douglas.  He  had,  in  the  eyes  of  this 
Southern  garrison,  the  faculties  of  a  fiend,  rather 
than  those  of  a  mere  mortal;  for  if  the  English 
soldiers  cursed  the  tedium  of  the  perpetual  watch 
and  ward  upon  the  Dangerous  Castle,  which  ad- 
mitted of  no  relaxation  from  the  severity  of  extreme 
duty,  they  agreed  that  a  tall  form  was  sure  to 
appear  to  them  with  a  battle-axe  in  his  hand,  and 
entering  into  conversation  in  the  most  insinuating 
manner,  never  failed,  with  an  ingenuity  and  elo- 
quence equal  to  that  of  a  fallen  spirit,  to  recom- 
mend to  the  discontented  sentinel  some  mode  in 
which,  by  giving  his  assistance  to  betray  the 
English,  he  might  set  himself  at  liberty.  The 
variety  of  these  devices,  and  the  frequency  of  their 
recurrence,  kept  Sir  John  de  Walton's  anxiety  so 

1  t.  e.  Gnat's  wing. 


78  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

perpetually  upon  the  stretch,  that  he  at  no  time 
thought  himself  exactly  out  of  the  Black  Douglas's 
reach,  any  more  than  the  good  Christian  supposes 
himself  out  of  reach  of  the  wiles  of  the  devil; 
while  every  new  temptation,  instead  of  confirming 
his  hope,  seems  to  announce  that  the  immediate 
retreat  of  the  Evil  One  will  be  followed  by  some 
new  attack  yet  more  cunningly  devised.  Under 
this  general  state  of  anxiety  and  apprehension,  the 
temper  of  the  governor  changed  somewhat  for  the 
worse,  and  they  who  loved  him  best  regretted  most 
that  he  became  addicted  to  complain  of  the  want 
of  diligence  on  the  part  of  those  who,  neither  in- 
vested with  responsibility  like  his,  nor  animated 
by  the  hope  of  such  splendid  rewards,  did  not 
entertain  the  same  degree  of  watchful  and  inces- 
sant suspicion  as  himself.  The  soldiers  muttered 
that  the  vigilance  of  their  governor  was  marked 
with  severity;  the  officers  and  men  of  rank,  of 
whom  there  were  several,  as  the  castle  was  a  re- 
nowned school  of  arms,  and  there  was  a  certain 
merit  attained  even  by  serving  within  its  walls, 
complained,  at  the  same  time,  that  Sir  John  de 
Walton  no  longer  made  parties  for  hunting,  for 
hawking,  or  for  any  purpose  which  might  soften 
the  rigours  of  warfare,  and  suffered  nothing  to  go 
forward  but  the  precise  discipline  of  the  castle. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  usually  granted,  that 
the  castle  is  well  kept  where  the  governor  is  a 
disciplinarian ;  and  where  feuds  and  personal  quar- 
rels are  found  in  the  garrison,  the  young  men  are 
usually  more  in  fault  than  those  whose  greater 
experience  has  convinced  them  of  the  necessity  of 
using  the  strictest  precautions. 

A  generous  mind  —  and  such  was  Sir  John  de 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  79 

Walton's  —  is  often  in  this  way  changed  and  cor- 
rupted by  the  habit  of  over-vigilance,  and  pushed 
beyond  its  natural  limits  of  candour.  Neither 
was  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  free  from  a  similar 
change;  suspicion,  though  from  a  different  cause, 
seemed  also  to  threaten  to  bias  his  open  and  noble 
disposition,  in  those  qualities  which  had  hitherto 
been  proper  to  him.  It  was  in  vain  that  Sir  John 
de  Walton  studiously  sought  opportunities  to  give 
his  younger  friend  indulgences,  which  at  times 
were  as  far  extended  as  the  duty  of  the  garrison 
permitted.  The  blow  was  struck ;  the  alarm  had 
been  given  to  a  proud  and  fiery  temper  on  both 
sides ;  and  while  De  Valence  entertained  an  opi- 
nion that  he  was  unjustly  suspected  by  a  friend, 
who  was  in  several  respects  bound  to  him,  De 
Walton,  on  the  other  hand,  was  led  to  conceive 
that  a  young  man,  of  whom  he  took  a  charge  as 
affectionate  as  if  he  had  been  a  son  of  his  own, 
and  who  owed  to  his  lessons  what  he  knew  of  war- 
fare, and  what  success  he  had  obtained  in  life,  had 
taken  offence  at  trifles,  and  considered  himself  ill 
treated  on  very  inadequate  grounds.  The  seeds  of 
disagreement,  thus  sown  between  them,  failed  not, 
like  the  tares  sown  by  the  Enemy  among  the  wheat, 
to  pass  from  one  class  of  the  garrison  to  another ; 
the  soldiers,  though  without  any  better  reason 
than  merely  to  pass  the  time,  took  different  sides 
between  their  governor  and  his  young  lieutenant ; 
and  so  the  ball  of  contention  being  once  thrown 
up  between  them,  never  lacked  some  arm  or  other 
to  keep  it  in  motion. 


CHAPTER  VL 

Alas !  they  had  been  friends  in  youth ; 
But  whispering  tongues  can  poison  truth ; 
And  constancy  lives  in  realms  above ; 

And  life  is  thorny,  and  youth  is  vain ; 
And  to  be  wroth  with  one  we  love, 

Doth  work  like  madness  in  the  brain. 

Each  spoke  words  of  high  disdain. 
And  insult  to  his  heart's  dear  brother. 
But  never  either  found  another 
To  free  the  hollow  heart  from  paining  — 
They  stood  aloof,  the  scars  remaining, 

Like  cliffs  which  had  been  rent  asunder ; 
A  dreary  sea  now  flows  between, 

But  neither  heat,  nor  frost,  nor  thunder, 
Shall  wholly  do  away,  I  ween. 
The  marks  of  that  which  once  hath  been. 

Christabelle  of  Coleridge. 

In  prosecution  of  the  intention  which,  when  his 
blood  was  cool,  seemed  to  him  wisest,  Sir  John  de 
Walton  resolved  that  he  would  go  to  the  verge  of 
indulgence  with  his  lieutenant  and  his  young 
officers,  furnish  them  with  every  species  of  amuse- 
ment which  the  place  rendered  possible,  and  make 
them  ashamed  of  their  discontent,  by  overloading 
them  with  courtesy.  The  first  time,  therefore, 
that  he  saw  Aymer  de  Valence  after  his  return 
to  the  castle,  he  addressed  him  in  high  spirits, 
whether  real  or  assumed. 

"  What  thinkest  thou,  my  young  friend, "  said 
De  Walton,  "  if  we   try   some   of   the   woodland 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  8i 

sports  proper,  they  say,  to  this  country?  There 
are  still  in  our  neighbourhood  some  herds  of  the 
Caledonian  breed  of  wild  cattle,  which  are  nowhere 
to  be  found  except  among  the  moorlands  —  the 
black  and  rugged  frontier  of  what  was  anciently 
called  the  Kingdom  of  Strath-Clyde.  There  are 
some  hunters,  too,  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
the  sport,  and  who  vouch  that  these  animals  are 
by  far  the  most  bold  and  fierce  subjects  of  chase  in 
the  island  of  Britain." 

"  You  will  do  as  you  please, "  replied  Sir  Aymer, 
coldly ;  "  but  it  is  not  I,  Sir  John,  who  would 
recommend,  for  the  sake  of  a  hunting-match,  that 
you  should  involve  the  whole  garrison  in  danger ; 
you  know  best  the  responsibilities  incurred  by 
your  office  here,  and  no  doubt  must  have  heedfully 
attended  to  them  before  making  a  proposal  of  such 
a  nature. " 

"  I  do  indeed  know  my  own  duty, "  replied  De 
Walton,  offended  in  turn,  "  and  might  be  allowed 
to  think  of  yours  also,  without  assuming  more 
than  my  own  share  of  responsibility ;  but  it  seems 
to  me  as  if  the  commander  of  this  Dangerous 
Castle,  among  other  inabilities,  were,  as  old  people 
in  this  country  say,  subjected  to  a  spell  —  and  one 
which  renders  it  impossible  for  him  to  guide  his 
conduct  so  as  to  afford  pleasure  to  those  whom 
he  is  most  desirous  to  oblige.  Not  a  great  many 
weeks  since,  whose  eyes  would  have  sparkled  like 
those  of  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  at  the  proposal  of 
a  general  hunting-match  after  a  new  object  of 
game ;  and  now  what  is  his  bearing  when  such 
sport  is  proposed,  merely,  I  think,  to  disappoint 
my  purpose  of  obliging  him  ?  —  a  cold  acquiescence 
drops  half  frozen  from  his  lips,  and  he  proposes  to 


82  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

go  to  rouse  the  wild  cattle  with  an  air  of  gravity, 
as  if  he  were  undertaking  a  pilgrimage  to  the  tomb 
of  a  martyr. " 

"  Not  so,  Sir  John, "  answered  the  young  knight. 
"  In  our  present  situation  we  stand  conjoined  in 
more  charges  than  one,  and  although  the  greater 
and  controlling  trust  is  no  doubt  laid  upon  you  as 
the  elder  and  abler  knight,  yet  still  I  feel  that  I 
myself  have  my  own  share  of  a  serious  respon- 
sibility. I  trust,  therefore,  you  will  indulgently 
hear  my  opinion,  and  bear  with  it,  even  though  it 
•should  appear  to  have  relation  to  that  part  of  our 
-common  charge  which  is  more  especially  intrusted 
to  your  keeping.  The  dignity  of  knighthood 
which  I  have  the  honour  to  share  with  you,  the 
accolade  laid  on  my  shoulder  by  the  royal  Plan- 
tagenet,  entitles  me,  methinks,  to  so  much  grace. " 

"  I  cry  you  mercy, "  said  the  elder  cavalier ;  "  I 
forgot  how  important  a  person  I  had  before  me, 
dubbed  by  King  Edward  himself,  who  was  moved 
no  doubt  by  special  reasons  to  confer  such  an  early 
honour;  and  I  certainly  feel  that  I  overstep  my 
duty  when  I  propose  anything  that  savours  like 
idle  sport  to  a  person  of  such  grave  pretensions. " 

"  Sir  John  de  Walton, "  retorted  De  Valence, 
"  we  have  had  something  too  much  of  this  —  let  it 
stop  here.  All  that  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  in  this 
wardship  of  Douglas  Castle,  it  will  not  be  by  my 
consent,  if  any  amusement,  which  distinctly  infers 
a  relaxation  of  discipline,  be  unnecessarily  engaged 
in,  and  especially  such  as  compels  us  to  summon 
to  our  assistance  a  number  of  the  Scots,  whose  evil 
disposition  towards  us  we  well  know ;  nor  will  I, 
though  my  years  have  rendered  me  liable  to  such 
suspicion,  suffer  anything  of  this  kind  to  be  im- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  83 

puted  to  me ;  and  if,  unfortunately  —  though  I  am 
sure  I  know  not  why  —  we  are  in  future  to  lay 
aside  those  bonds  of  familiar  friendship  which 
formerly  linked  us  to  each  other,  yet  I  see  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  bear  ourselves  in  our 
necessary  communications  like  knights  and  gen- 
tlemen, and  put  the  best  construction  on  each 
other's  motives,  since  there  can  be  no  reason  for 
imputing  the  worst  to  anything  that  comes  from 
either  of  us. " 

"  You  may  be  right,  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence, "  said 
the  governor,  bending  stiffly ;  "  and  since  you  say 
we  are  no  longer  bound  to  each  other  as  friends, 
you  may  be  certain,  nevertheless,  that  I  will  never 
permit  a  hostile  feeling,  of  which  you  are  the 
object,  to  occupy  my  bosom.  You  have  been  long, 
and  I  hope  not  uselessly,  my  pupil  in  the  duties 
of  chivalry.  You  are  the  near  relation  of  the  Earl 
of  Pembroke,  my  kind  and  constant  patron,  and, 
if  these  circumstances  are  well  weighed,  they  form 
a  connection  which  it  would  be  difficult,  at  least 
for  me,  to  break  through.  If  you  feel  yourself,  as 
you  seem  to  intimate,  less  strictly  tied  by  former 
obligations,  you  must  take  your  own  choice  in 
fixing  our  relations  towards  each  other. " 

"  I  can  only  say, "  replied  De  Valence,  "  that  my 
conduct  will  naturally  be  regulated  by  your  own ; 
and  you.  Sir  John,  cannot  hope  more  devoutly 
than  I  do,  that  our  military  duties  may  be  fairly 
discharged,  without  interfering  with  our  friendly 
intercourse. " 

The  knights  here  parted,  after  a  conference 
which  once  or  twice  had  very  nearly  terminated  in 
a  full  and  cordial  explanation ;  but  still  there  was 
wanting  one  kind   heartfelt  word  from  either,  to 


84  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

break,  as  it  were,  the  ice  which  was  fast  freezing 
upon  their  intercourse,  and  neither  chose  to  be  the 
first  in  making  the  necessary  advances  with  suffi- 
cient cordiality,  though  each  would  have  gladly 
done  so,  had  the  other  appeared  desirous  of  meet- 
ing it  with  the  same  ardour ;  but  their  pride  was 
too  high,  and  prevented  either  from  saying  what 
might  at  once  have  put  them  upon  an  open  and 
manly  footing.  They  parted,  therefore,  without 
again  returning  to  the  subject  of  the  proposed 
diversion ;  until  it  was  afterwards  resumed  in  a 
formal  note,  praying  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  to 
accompany  the  commandant  of  Douglas  Castle 
upon  a  solemn  hunting-match,  which  had  for  its 
object  the  wild  cattle  of  the  neighbouring  dale. 

The  time  of  meeting  was  appointed  at  six  in  the 
morning,  beyond  the  gate  of  the  outer  barricade; 
and  the  chase  was  declared  to  be  ended  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  recheat  should  be  blown  be- 
neath the  great  oak,  known  by  the  name  of  Sholto's 
Club,  which  stood  a  remarkable  object,  where 
Douglas  Dale  was  bounded  by  several  scattered 
trees,  the  outskirts  of  the  forest  and  hill  country. 
The  usual  warning  was  sent  out  to  the  common 
people,  or  vassals  of  the  district,  which  they,  not- 
withstanding their  feeling  of  antipathy,  received 
in  general  with  delight,  upon  the  great  Epicurean 
principle  of  carpe  diem  —  that  is  to  say,  in  what- 
ever circumstances  it  happens  to  present  itself,  be 
sure  you  lose  no  recreation  which  life  affords.  A 
hunting-match  has  still  its  attractions,  even 
though  an  English  knight  take  his  pleasure  in  the 
woods  of  the  Douglas. 

It  was  no  doubt  afflicting  to  these  faithful 
vassals  to  acknowledge  another  lord  than  the  re- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  85 

doubted  Douglas,  and  to  wait  by  wood  and  river 
at  the  command  of  English  officers,  and  in  the 
company  of  their  archers,  whom  they  accounted 
their  natural  enemies.  Still  it  was  the  only 
species  of  amusement  which  had  been  permitted 
them  for  a  long  time,  and  they  were  not  disposed 
to  omit  the  rare  opportunity  of  joining  in  it.  The 
chase  of  the  wolf,  the  wild  boar,  or  even  the  timid 
stag,  required  silvan  arms ;  the  wild  cattle  still 
more  demanded  this  equipment  of  war-bows  and 
shafts,  boar-spears  and  sharp  swords,  and  other 
tools  of  the  chase  similar  to  those  used  in  actual 
war.  Considering  this,  the  Scottish  inhabitants 
were  seldom  allowed  to  join  in  the  chase,  except 
under  regulations  as  to  number  and  arms,  and 
especially  in  preserving  a  balance  of  force  on  the 
side  of  the  English  soldiers,  which  was  very  offen- 
sive to  them.  The  greater  part  of  the  garrison 
was  upon  such  occasions  kept  on  foot,  and  several 
detachments,  formed  according  to  the  governor's 
direction,  were  stationed  in  different  positions,  in 
case  any  quarrel  should  suddenly  break  out. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

The  drivers  thorough  the  wood  went. 

For  to  raise  the  deer ; 
Bowmen  bickered  upon  the  bent, 

With  their  broad  arrows  clear. 

The  wylde  thorough  the  woods  went. 

On  every  side  shear; 
Grehounds  thorough  the  groves  glent, 

!For  to  kill  thir  deer. 

Ballad  of  Chevy  Chase,  Old  Edition. 

The  appointed  morning  came  in  cold  and  raw, 
after  the  manner  of  the  Scottish  March  weather. 
Dogs  yelped,  yawned,  and  shivered,  and  the  hunts- 
men, though  hardy  and  cheerful  in  expectation  of 
the  day's  sport,  twitched  their  mauds,  or  Lowland 
plaids,  close  to  their  throats,  and  looked  with 
some  dismay  at  the  mists  which  floated  about  the 
horizon,  now  threatening  to  sink  down  on  the 
peaks  and  ridges  of  prominent  mountains,  and 
now  to  shift  their  position  under  the  influence  of 
some  of  the  uncertain  gales,  which  rose  and  fell 
alternately,  as  they  swept  along  the  valley. 

Nevertheless,  the  appearance  of  the  whole 
formed,  as  is  usual  in  almost  all  departments  of 
the  chase,  a  gay  and  a  jovial  spectacle.  A  brief 
truce  seemed  to  have  taken  place  between  the 
nations,  and  the  Scottish  people  appeared  for  the 
time  rather  as  exhibiting  the  sports  of  their  moun- 
tains in  a  friendly  manner  to   the   accomplished 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  87 

knights  and  bonny  archers  of  Old  England,  than 
as  performing  a  feudal  service,  neither  easy  nor 
dignified  in  itself,  at  the  instigation  of  usurping 
neighbours.  The  figures  of  the  cavaliers,  now 
half  seen,  now  exhibited  fully,  and  at  the  height 
of  strenuous  exertion,  according  to  the  character 
of  the  dangerous  and  broken  ground,  particularly 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  pedestrians,  who, 
leading  the  dogs  or  beating  the  thickets,  dislodged 
such  objects  of  chase  as  they  found  in  the  dingles, 
and  kept  their  eyes  fixed  upon  their  companions, 
rendered  more  remarkable  from  being  mounted, 
and  the  speed  at  which  they  urged  their  horses ; 
the  disregard  of  all  accidents  being  as  perfect  as 
Melton  Mowbray  itself,  or  any  other  noted  field 
of  hunters  of  the  present  day,  can  exhibit. 

The  principles  on  which  modern  and  ancient 
hunting  were  conducted  are,  however,  as  different 
as  possible.  A  fox,  or  even  a  hare,  is,  in  our  own 
day,  considered  as  a  sufficient  apology  for  a  day's 
exercise  to  forty  or  fifty  dogs,  and  nearly  as  many 
men  and  horses;  but  the  ancient  chase,  even 
though  not  terminating,  as  it  often  did,  in  battle, 
carried  with  it  objects  more  important,  and  an 
interest  immeasurably  more  stirring.  If  indeed 
one  species  of  exercise  can  be  pointed  out  as 
more  universally  exhilarating  and  engrossing  than 
others,  it  is  certainly  that  of  the  chase.  The  poor 
overlaboured  drudge,  who  has  served  out  his  day 
of  life,  and  wearied  all  his  energies  in  the  service 
of  his  fellow-mortals  —  he  who  has  been  for  many 
years  the  slave  of  agriculture,  or  (still  worse)  of 
manufactures  —  engaged  in  raising  a  single  peck 
of  corn  from  year  to  year,  or  in  the  monotonous 
labours  of  the  desk  —  can  hardly  remain  dead  to 


88  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  general  happiness  when  the  chase  sweeps  past 
him  with  hound  and  horn,  and  for  a  moment  feels 
all  the  exultation  of  the  proudest  cavalier  who 
partakes  the  amusement.  Let  any  one  who  has 
witnessed  the  sight  recall  to  his  imagination 
the  vigour  and  lively  interest  which  he  has  seen 
inspired  into  a  village,  including  the  oldest  and 
feeblest  of  its  inhabitants.  In  the  words  of  Words- 
worth, it  is,  on  such  occasions, 

Up,  Timothy,  up  with  your  staff  and  away, 
Not  a  soul  will  remain  in  the  village  to-day  ; 
The  hare  has  just  started  from  Hamilton's  grounds. 
And  Skiddaw  is  glad  with  the  cry  of  the  hounds. 

But  compare  these  inspiring  sounds  to  the  burst 
of  a  whole  feudal  population  enjoying  the  sport, 
whose  lives,  instead  of  being  spent  in  the  monoto- 
nous toil  of  modern  avocations,  have  been  agitated 
by  the  hazards  of  war,  and  of  the  chase,  its  near 
resemblance,  and  you  must  necessarily  suppose 
that  the  excitation  is  extended,  like  a  fire  which 
catches  to  dry  heath.  To  use  the  common  expres- 
sion, borrowed  from  another  amusement,  all  is  fish 
that  comes  in  the  net  on  such  occasions.  An 
ancient  hunting-match  (the  nature  of  the  carnage 
excepted)  was  almost  equal  to  a  modern  battle, 
when  the  strife  took  place  on  the  surface  of  a 
varied  and  unequal  country.  A  whole  district 
poured  forth  its  inhabitants,  who  formed  a  ring 
of  great  extent,  called  technically  a  tinchel,  and, 
advancing  and  narrowing  their  circle  by  degrees, 
drove  before  them  the  alarmed  animals  of  every 
kind ;  all  and  each  of  which,  as  they  burst  from 
the  thicket  or  the  moorland,  were  objects  of  the 
bow,  the  javelin,  or  whatever  missile  weapons  the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  89 

hunters  possessed ;  while  others  were  run  down 
and  worried  by  large  greyhounds,  or  more  fre- 
quently brought  to  bay,  when  the  more  important 
persons  present  claimed  for  themselves  the  plea- 
sure of  putting  them  to  death  with  their  chival- 
rous hands,  incurring  individually  such  danger  as 
is  inferred  from  a  mortal  contest  even  with  the 
timid  buck,  when  he  is  brought  to  the  death- 
struggle,  and  has  no  choice  but  yielding  his  life 
or  putting  himself  upon  the  defensive,  by  the  aid 
of  his  splendid  antlers,  and  with  all  the  courage 
of  despair. 

The  quantity  of  game  found  in  Douglas  Dale  on 
this  occasion  was  very  considerable,  for,  as  already 
noticed,  it  was  a  long  time  since  a  hunting  upon  a 
great  scale  had  been  attempted  under  the  Douglases 
themselves,  whose  misfortunes  had  commenced, 
several  years  before,  with  those  of  their  country. 
The  English  garrison,  too,  had  not  sooner  judged 
themselves  strong  or  numerous  enough  to  exercise 
these  valued  feudal  privileges.  In  the  meantime 
the  game  increased  considerably.  The  deer,  the 
wild  cattle,  and  the  wild  boars  lay  near  the  foot  of 
the  mountains,  and  made  frequent  irruptions  into 
the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  which  in  Douglas 
Dale  bears  no  small  resemblance  to  an  oasis,  sur- 
rounded by  tangled  woods,  and  broken  moors, 
occasionally  rocky,  and  showing  large  tracts  of 
that  bleak  dominion  to  which  wild  creatures 
gladly  escape  when  pressed  by  the  neighbourhood 
of  man. 

As  the  hunters  traversed  the  spots  which  sepa- 
rated the  field  from  the  wood,  there  was  always 
a  simulating  uncertainty  what  sort  of  game  was  to 
be  found,  and  the  marksman,  with  his  bow  ready 


90  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

bent,  or  his  javelin  poised,  and  his  good  and  well- 
bitted  horse  thrown  upon  its  haunches,  ready  for 
a  sudden  start,  observed  watchfully  w^hat  should 
rush  from  the  covert,  so  that,  were  it  deer,  boar, 
wolf,  wild  cattle,  or  any  other  species  of  game,  he 
might  be  in  readiness. 

The  wolf,  which,  on  account  of  its  ravages,  was 
the  most  obnoxious  of  the  beasts  of  prey,  did  not, 
however,  supply  the  degree  of  diversion  which 
his  name  promised ;  he  usually  fled  far  —  in  some 
instances  many  miles  —  before  he  took  courage 
to  turn  to  bay,  and  though  formidable  at  such 
moments,  destroying  both  dogs  and  men  by  his 
terrible  bite,  yet  at  other  times  was  rather  despised 
for  his  cowardice.  The  boar,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  a  much  more  irascible  and  courageous  animal. 

The  wild  cattle,  the  most  formidable  of  all  the 
tenants  of  the  ancient  Caledonian  forest,  were, 
however,  to  the  English  cavaliers,  by  far  the  most 
interesting  objects  of  pursuit.^  Altogether,  the 
ringing  of  bugles,  the  clattering  of  horses*  hoofs, 
the  lowing  and  bellowing  of  the  enraged  mountain 
cattle,  the  sobs  of  deer  mangled  by  throttling  dogs, 
the  wild  shouts  of  exultation  of  the  men,  made  a 
chorus  which  extended  far  through  the  scene  in 
which  it  arose,  and  seemed  to  threaten  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  valley  even  in  its  inmost  recesses. 

During  the  course  of  the  hunting,  when  a  stag  or 
a  boar  was  expected,  one  of  the  wild  cattle  often 
came  rushing  forward,  bearing  down  the  young 
trees,  crashing  the  branches  in  its  progress,  and  in 
general  dispersing  whatever  opposition  was  pre- 
sented to  it  by  the  hunters.  Sir  John  de  Walton 
was  the  only  one  of  the  chivalry  of  the  party  who 
1  Note  I.  —  Scottish  Wild  Cattle. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  91 

individually  succeeded  in  mastering  one  of  these 
powerful  animals.  Like  a  Spanish  tauridor,  he  bore 
down  and  killed  with  his  lance  a  ferocious  bull ; 
two  well -grown  calves  and  three  kine  were  also 
slain,  being  unable  to  carry  off  the  quantity  of 
arrows,  javelins,  and  other  missiles  directed 
against  them  by  the  archers  and  drivers;  but 
many  others,  in  spite  of  every  endeavour  to  inter- 
cept them,  escaped  to  their  gloomy  haunts  in  the 
remote  skirts  of  the  mountain  called  Cairntable, 
with  their  hides  well  feathered  with  those  marks 
of  human  enmity. 

A  large  portion  of  the  morning  was  spent  in  this 
way,  until  a  particular  blast  from  the  master  of 
the  hunt  announced  that  he  had  not  forgot  the  dis- 
creet custom  of  the  repast,  which,  on  such  occa- 
sions, was  provided  for  upon  a  scale  proportioned 
to  the  multitude  who  had  been  convened  to  attend 
the  sport. 

The  blast  peculiar  to  the  time  assembled  the 
whole  party  in  an  open  space  in  a  wood,  where 
their  numbers  had  room  and  accommodation  to  sit 
down  upon  the  green  turf,  the  slain  game  affording 
a  plentiful  supply  for  roasting  or  broiling,  an 
employment  in  which  the  lower  class  were  all 
immediately  engaged ;  while  puncheons  and  pipes, 
placed  in  readiness,  and  scientifically  opened, 
supplied  Gascoigne  wine  and  mighty  ale,  at  the 
pleasure  of  those  who  chose  to  appeal  to  them. 

The  knights,  whose  rank  did  not  admit  of  inter- 
ference, were  seated  by  themselves,  and  ministered 
to  by  their  squires  and  pages,  to  whom  such 
menial  services  were  not  accounted  disgraceful, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  a  proper  step  of  their  educa- 
tion.    The  number  of  those  distinguished  persons 


92  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

seated  upon  the  present  occasion  at  the  table  of 
dais,  as  it  was  called  (in  virtue  of  a  canopy  of 
green  boughs  with  which  it  was  overshadowed), 
comprehended  Sir  John  de  Walton,  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence,  and  some  reverend  brethren  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  St.  Bride,  who,  though  Scottish 
ecclesiastics,  were  treated  with  becoming  respect 
by  the  English  soldiers.  One  or  two  Scottish 
retainers  or  vavasours,  maintaining,  perhaps  in 
prudence,  a  suitable  deference  to  the  English 
knights,  sat  at  the  bottom  of  the  table,  and  as 
many  English  archers,  peculiarly  respected  by  their 
superiors,  were  invited,  according  to  the  modern 
phrase,  to  the  honours  of  the  sitting. 

Sir  John  de  Walton  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table. 
His  eye,  though  it  seemed  to  have  no  certain 
object,  yet  never  for  a  moment  remained  sta- 
tionary, but  glanced  from  one  countenance  to 
another  of  the  ring  formed  by  his  guests,  for  such 
they  all  were,  no  doubt,  though  he  himself  could 
hardly  have  told  upon  what  principle  he  had  issued 
the  invitations ;  and  even  apparently  was  at  a  loss 
to  think  what,  in  one  or  two  cases,  had  procured 
him  the  honour  of  their  presence. 

One  person  in  particular  caught  De  Walton's 
eye,  as  having  the  air  of  a  redoubted  man-at-arms, 
although  it  seemed  as  if  fortune  had  not  of  late 
smiled  upon  his  enterprises.  He  was  a  tall  raw- 
boned  man,  of  an  extremely  rugged  countenance, 
and  his  skin,  which  showed  itself  through  many 
a  loophole  in  his  dress,  exhibited  a  complexion 
which  must  have  endured  all  the  varieties  of  an 
outlawed  life ;  and  akin  to  one  who  had,  according 
to  the  customary  phrase,  "  ta'en  the  bent  with 
Eobin    Bruce"  —  in    other   words,    occupied    the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  93 

moors  with  him  as  an  insurgent.  Some  such  idea 
certainly  crossed  De  Walton's  mind.  Yet  the 
apparent  coolness  and  absence  of  alarm  with  which 
the  stranger  sat  at  the  board  of  an  English  officer, 
at  the  same  time  being  wholly  in  his  power,  had 
much  in  it  which  was  irreconcilable  with  any 
such  suggestion.  De  Walton,  and  several  of  those 
about  him,  had  in  the  course  of  the  day  observed 
that  this  tattered  cavalier,  the  most  remarkable 
parts  of  whose  garb  and  equipments  consisted  of 
an  old  coat-of-mail  and  a  rusted  yet  massive  par- 
tisan about  eight  feet  long,  was  possessed  of  supe- 
rior skill  in  the  art  of  hunting  to  any  individual 
of  their  numerous  party.  The  governor,  having 
looked  at  this  suspicious  figure  until  he  had  ren- 
dered the  stranger  aware  of  the  special  interest 
which  he  attracted,  at  length  filled  a  goblet  of 
choice  wine,  and  requested  him,  as  one  of  the  best 
pupils  of  Sir  Tristrem  who  had  attended  upon  the 
day's  chase,  to  pledge  him  in  a  vintage  superior  to 
that  supplied  to  the  general  company. 

"  I  suppose,  however,  sir, "  said  De  Walton, 
"  you  will  have  no  objections  to  put  off  my  chal- 
lenge of  a  brimmer,  until  you  can  answer  my 
pledge  in  Gascoigne  wine,  which  grew  in  the 
king's  own  demesne,  was  pressed  for  his  own  lip, 
and  is  therefore  fittest  to  be  emptied  to  his 
Majesty's  health  and  prosperity." 

"  One  half  of  the  island  of  Britain, "  said  the 
woodsman,  with  great  composure,  "  will  be  of  your 
honour's  opinion ;  but  as  I  belong  to  the  other 
half,  even  the  choicest  liquor  in  Gascony  cannot 
render  that  health  acceptable  to  me. " 

A  murmur  of  disapprobation  ran  through  the 
warriors   present;   the   priests   hung   their  heads, 


I 


94  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

looked  deadly  grave,  and  muttered  their  pater- 
nosters. 

"  You  see,  stranger, "  said  De  Walton  sternly, 
"  that  your  speech  discomposes  the  company. " 

"  It  may  be  so, "  replied  the  man,  in  the  same 
blunt  tone ;  "  and  it  may  happen  that  there  is  no 
harm  in  the  speech  notwithstanding. " 

"  Do  you  consider  that  it  is  made  in  my  pre- 
sence ? "  answered  De  Walton. 

"  Yes,  Sir  Governor.  " 

"  And  have  you  thought  what  must  be  the  ne- 
cessary inference  ? "  continued  De  Walton. 

"  I  may  form  a  round  guess, "  answered  the 
stranger,  "  what  I  might  have  to  fear,  if  your  safe 
conduct  and  word  of  honour,  when  inviting  me  to 
this  hunting,  were  less  trustworthy  than  I  know 
full  well  it  really  is.  But  I  am  your  guest  —  your 
meat  is  even  now  passing  my  throat  —  your  cup, 
filled  with  right  good  wine,  I  have  just  now 
quaffed  off  —  and  I  would  not  fear  the  rankest 
Paynim  infidel,  if  we  stood  in  such  relation  to- 
gether, much  less  an  English  knight.  I  tell  you, 
besides.  Sir  Knight,  you  undervalue  the  wine  we 
have  quaffed.  The  high  flavour  and  contents  of 
your  cup,  grow  where  it  will,  give  me  spirit  to 
tell  you  one  or  two  circumstances  which  cold  cau- 
tious sobriety  would,  in  a  moment  like  this,  have 
left  unsaid.  You  wish,  I  doubt  not,  to  know  who 
I  am  ?  My  christian  name  is  Michael  —  my  sur- 
name is  that  of  Turnbull,  a  redoubted  clan,  to 
whose  honours,  even  in  the  field  of  hunting  or 
of  battle,  I  have  added  something.  My  abode  is 
beneath  the  mountain  of  Rubieslaw,  by  the  fair 
streams  of  Teviot.  You  are  surprised  that  I  know 
how  to  hunt  the  wild  cattle  —  I,  who  have  made 


The  Hunting  Feast. 
Drawn  and  Etched  by  H.  Macbeth-Raeburn. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  95 

them  my  sport  from  infancy  in  the  lonely  forests 
of  Jed  and  Southdean,  and  have  killed  more  of 
them  than  you  or  any  Englishman  in  your  host 
ever  saw,  even  if  you  include  the  doughty  deeds 
of  this  day. " 

The  bold  borderer  made  this  declaration  with 
the  same  provoking  degree  of  coolness  which  pre- 
dominated in  his  whole  demeanour,  and  was  in- 
deed his  principal  attribute.  His  effrontery  did 
not  fail  to  produce  its  effect  upon  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  who  instantly  called  out,  "  To  arms !  to 
arms  !  —  Secure  the  spy  and  traitor !  Ho !  pages 
and  yeomen  —  William,  Anthony,  Bend-the-bow, 
and  Greenleaf  —  seize  the  traitor,  and  bind  him 
with  your  bowstrings  and  dog-leashes  —  bind  him, 
I  say,  until  the  blood  start  from  beneath  his 
nails !  " 

"  Here  is  a  goodly  summons !  "  said  Turnbull, 
with  a  sort  of  horse-laugh.  "  Were  I  as  sure  of 
being  answered  by  twenty  men  I  could  name,  there 
would  be  small  doubt  of  the  upshot  of  this  day. " 

The  archers  thickened  around  the  hunter,  yet 
laid  no  hold  on  him,  none  of  them  being  willing 
to  be  the  first  who  broke  the  peace  proper  to  the 
occasion. 

"  Tell  me, "  said  De  Walton,  "  thou  traitor,  for 
what  waitest  thou  here  ? " 

"  Simply  and  solely, "  said  the  Jed  forester, 
"  that  I  may  deliver  up  to  ihe  Douglas  the  castle 
of  his  ancestors,  and  that  I  may  insure  thee,  Sir 
Englishman,  the  payment  of  thy  deserts,  by  cut- 
ting that  very  throat  which  thou  makest  such  a 
bawling  use  of. " 

At  the  same  time,  perceiving  that  the  yeomen 
were  crowding  behind  him   to  carry  their  lord's 


96  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

commands  into  execution  so  soon  as  they  should 
be  reiterated,  the  huntsman  turned  himself  short 
round  upon  those  who  appeared  about  to  surprise 
him,  and  having,  by  the  suddenness  of  the  action, 
induced  them  to  step  back  a  pace,  he  proceeded  — 
"  Yes,  John  de  Walton,  my  purpose  was  ere  now 
to  have  put  thee  to  death,  as  one  whom  I  find  in 
possession  of  that  castle  and  territory  which  belong 
to  my  master,  a  knight  much  more  worthy  than 
thyself;  but  I  know  not  why  I  have  paused  — 
thou  hast  given  me  food  when  I  have  hungered  for 
twenty -four  hours,  I  have  not  therefore  had  the 
heart  to  pay  thee  at  advantage  as  thou  hast  de- 
served. Begone  from  this  place  and  country,  and 
take  the  fair  warning  of  a  foe :  thou  hast  consti- 
tuted thyself  the  mortal  enemy  of  this  people,  and 
there  are  those  among  them  who  have  seldom  been 
injured  or  defied  with  impunity.  Take  no  care  in 
searching  after  me  —  it  will  be  in  vain  —  until  I 
meet  thee  at  a  time  which  will  come  at  my  plea- 
sure, not  thine.  Push  not  your  inquisition  into 
cruelty,  to  discover  by  what  means  I  have  deceived 
you,  for  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  learn;  and 
with  this  friendly  advice,  look  at  me  and  take 
your  leave,  for,  although  we  shall  one  day  meet, 
it  may  be  long  ere  I  see  you  again. " 

De  Walton  remained  silent,  hoping  that  his 
prisoner  (for  he  saw  no  chance  of  his  escaping) 
might,  in  his  communicative  humour,  drop  some 
more  information,  and  was  not  desirous  to  precipi- 
tate a  fray  with  which  the  scene  was  likely  to 
conclude,  unconscious  at  the  same  time  of  the 
advantage  which  he  thereby  gave  the  daring 
hunter. 

As  Turnbull  concluded  his  sentence,  he  made  a 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  97 

sudden  spring  backwards,  which  carried  him  out 
of  the  circle  formed  around  him,  and,  before  they 
were  aware  of  his  intentions,  at  once  disappeared 
among  the  underwood. 

"  Seize  him  —  seize  him!  "  repeated  De  Walton; 
"  let  us  have  him  at  least  at  our  discretion,  unless 
the  earth  has  actually  swallowed  him. " 

This  indeed  appeared  not  unlikely,  for  near  the 
place  where  Turnbull  had  made  the  spring  there 
yawned  a  steep  ravine,  into  which  he  plunged,  and 
descended  by  the  assistance  of  branches,  bushes, 
and  copsewood,  until  he  reached  the  bottom,  where 
he  found  some  road  to  the  outskirts  of  the  forest, 
through  which  he  made  his  escape,  leaving  the 
most  expert  woodsmen  among  the  pursuers  totally 
at  fault,  and  unable  to  trace  his  footsteps. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

This  interlude  carried  some  confusion  into  the 
proceedings  of  the  hunt,  thus  suddenly  surprised 
by  the  apparition  of  Michael  Turnbull,  an  armed 
and  avowed  follower  of  the  House  of  Douglas,  a 
sight  so  little  to  be  expected  in  the  territory  where 
his  master  was  held  a  rebel  and  a  bandit,  and 
where  he  himself  must  have  been  well  known  to 
most  of  the  peasantry  present.  The  circumstance 
made  an  obvious  impression  on  the  English  chi- 
valry. Sir  John  de  Walton  looked  grave  and 
thoughtful,  ordered  the  hunters  to  be  assembled 
on  the  spot,  and  directed  his  soldiers  to  commence 
a  strict  search  among  the  persons  who  had  attended 
the  chase,  so  as  to  discover  whether  Turnbull  had 
any  companions  among  them ;  but  it  was  too  late 
to  make  that  inquiry  in  the  strict  fashion  which 
De  Walton  directed. 

The  Scottish  attendants  on  the  chase,  when  they 
beheld  that  the  hunting,  under  pretence  of  which 
they  were  called  together,  was  interrupted  for  the 
purpose  of  laying  hands  upon  their  persons,  and 
subjecting  them  to  examination,  took  care  to  suit 
their  answers  to  the  questions  put  to  them ;  in  a 
word,  they  kept  their  own  secret,  if  they  had  any. 
Many  of  them,  conscious  of  being  the  weaker 
party,  became  afraid  of  foul  play,  slipped  away 
from  the  places  to  which  they  had  been  appointed, 
and   left   the   hunting-match  like  men  who   con- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  99 

ceived  they  had  been  invited  with  no  friendly- 
intent.  Sir  John  de  Walton  became  aware  of  the 
decreasing  numbers  of  the  Scottish  —  their  gradual 
disappearance  awakening  in  the  English  knight 
that  degree  of  suspicion  which  had  of  late  become 
his  peculiar  characteristic. 

**  Take,  I  pray  thee, "  said  he  to  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence,  "  as  many  men-at-arms  as  thou  canst  get 
together  in  five  minutes'  space,  and  at  least  a 
hundred  of  the  mounted  archers,  and  ride  as  fast 
as  thou  canst,  without  permitting  them  to  straggle 
from  thy  standard,  to  reinforce  the  garrison  of 
Douglas ;  for  I  have  my  own  thoughts  what  may 
have  been  attempted  on  the  castle,  when  we 
observe  with  our  own  eyes  such  a  nest  of  traitors 
here  assembled. " 

"  With  reverence.  Sir  John, "  replied  Aymer, 
"  you  shoot  in  this  matter  rather  beyond  the  mark. 
That  the  Scottish  peasants  have  bad  thoughts 
against  us,  I  will  be  the  last  to  deny;  but,  long 
debarred  from  any  silvan  sport,  you  cannot  wonder 
at  their  crowding  to  any  diversion  by  wood  or 
river,  and  still  less  at  their  being  easily  alarmed 
as  to  the  certainty  of  the  safe  footing  on  which 
they  stand  with  us.  The  least  rough  usage  is 
likely  to  strike  them  with  fear,  and  with  the 
desire  of  escape,  and  so  "  

"  And  so, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton,  who  had 
listened  with  a  degree  of  impatience  scarce  consis- 
tent with  the  grave  and  formal  politeness  which 
one  knight  was  accustomed  to  bestow  upon  an- 
other —  "  and  so  I  would  rather  see  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence  busy  his  horse's  heels  to  execute  my 
orders,  than  give  his  tongue  the  trouble  of  im- 
pugning them. " 


loo  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

At  this  sharp  reprimand,  all  present  looked  at 
each  other  with  indications  of  marked  displeasure. 
Sir  Aymer  was  highly  offended,  but  saw  it  was  no 
time  to  indulge  in  reprisal.  He  bowed  until  the 
feather  which  was  in  his  barret-cap  mingled  with 
his  horse's  mane,  and  without  reply  —  for  he  did 
not  even  choose  to  trust  his  voice  in  reply  at  the 
moment  —  headed  a  considerable  body  of  cavalry  by 
the  straightest  road  back  to  the  Castle  of  Douglas. 

When  he  came  to  one  of  those  eminences  from 
which  he  could  observe  the  massive  and  compli- 
cated towers  and  walls  of  the  old  fortress,  with  the 
glitter  of  the  broad  lake  which  surrounded  it  on 
three  sides,  he  felt  much  pleasure  at  the  sight  of 
the  great  banner  of  England,  which  streamed  from 
the  highest  part  of  the  building.  "  I  knew  it,  *  he 
internally  said ;  "  I  was  certain  that  Sir  John  de 
Walton  had  become  a  very  woman  in  the  indul- 
gence of  his  fears  and  suspicions.  Alas!  that  a 
situation  of  responsibility  should  so  much  have 
altered  a  disposition  which  I  have  known  so  noble 
and  so  knightly !  By  this  good  day,  I  scarce  know 
in  what  manner  I  should  demean  me  when  thus 
publicly  rebuked  before  the  garrison.  Certainly 
he  deserves  that  I  should,  at  some  time  or  other, 
let  him  understand  that,  however  he  may  triumph 
in  the  exercise  of  his  short-lived  command,  yet, 
when  man  is  to  meet  with  man,  it  will  puzzle  Sir 
John  de  Walton  to  show  himself  the  superior  of 
Aymer  de  Valence,  or  perhaps  to  establish  himself 
as  his  equal.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  his  fears, 
however  fantastic,  are  sincere  at  the  moment  he 
expresses  them,  it  becomes  me  to  obey  punctually 
commands  which,  however  absurd,  are  imposed 
in  consequence  of  the  governor's  belief  that  they 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  loi 

are  rendered  necessary  by  the  times,  and  not  in- 
ventions designed  to  vex  and  domineer  over  his 
officers  in  the  indulgence  of  his  official  powers. 
I  would  I  knew  which  is  the  true  statement  of  the 
case,  and  whether  the  once  famed  De  Walton  is 
become  afraid  of  his  enemies  more  than  fits  a 
knight,  or  makes  imaginary  doubts  the  pretext  of 
tyrannising  over  his  friend.  I  cannot  say  it  would 
make  much  difference  to  me,  but  I  would  rather 
have  it  that  the  man  I  once  loved  had  turned  a 
petty  tyrant  than  a  weak-spirited  coward ;  and  I 
would  be  content  that  he  should  study  to  vex  me, 
rather  than  be  afraid  of  his  own  shadow. " 

With  these  ideas  passing  in  his  mind,  the  young 
knight  crossed  the  causeway  which  traversed  the 
piece  of  water  that  fed  the  moat,  and,  passing 
under  the  strongly  fortified  gateway,  gave  strict 
orders  for  letting  down  the  portcullis,  and  ele- 
vating the  drawbridge,  even  at  the  appearance  of 
De  Walton's  own  standard  before  it. 

A  slow  and  guarded  movement  from  the  hunting- 
ground  to  the  Castle  of  Douglas  gave  the  governor 
ample  time  to  recover  his  temper,  and  to  forget 
that  his  young  friend  had  shown  less  alacrity  than 
usual  in  obeying  his  commands.  He  was  even 
disposed  to  treat  as  a  jest  the  length  of  time  and 
extreme  degree  of  ceremony  with  which  every 
point  of  martial  discipline  was  observed  on  his 
own  readmission  to  the  castle,  though  the  raw  air 
of  a  wet  spring  evening  whistled  around  his  own 
unsheltered  person,  and  those  of  his  followers,  as 
they  waited  before  the  castle  gate  for  the  exchange 
of  passwords,  the  delivery  of  keys,  and  all  the 
slow  minutiae  attendant  upon  the  movements  of  a 
garrison  in  a  well-guarded  fortress. 


102  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  Come,  **  said  he  to  an  old  knight,  who  was 
peevishly  blaming  the  lieutenant-governor,  "  it 
was  my  own  fault ;  I  spoke  but  now  to  Aymer  de 
Valence  with  more  authoritative  emphasis  than 
his  newly  dubbed  dignity  was  pleased  with,  and 
this  precise  style  of  obedience  is  a  piece  of  not  un- 
natural and  very  pardonable  revenge.  Well,  we 
will  owe  him  a  return.  Sir  Philip  —  shall  we  not  ? 
This  is  not  a  night  to  keep  a  man  at  the  gate. " 

This  dialogue,  overheard  by  some  of  the  squires 
and  pages,  was  bandied  about  from  one  to  another, 
until  it  entirely  lost  the  tone  of  good-humour  in 
which  it  was  spoken,  and  the  offence  was  one  for 
which  Sir  John  de  Walton  and  old  Sir  Philip  were 
to  meditate  revenge,  and  was  said  to  have  been 
represented  by  the  governor  as  a  piece  of  mortal 
and  intentional  offence  on  the  part  of  his  subordi- 
nate officer. 

Thus  an  increasing  feud  went  on  from  day  to 
day  between  two  warriors,  who,  with  no  just  cause 
of  quarrel,  had  at  heart  every  reason  to  esteem  and 
love  each  other.  It  became  visible  in  the  fortress 
even  to  those  of  the  lower  rank,  who  hoped  to  gain 
some  consequence,  by  intermingling  in  the  species 
of  emulation  produced  by  the  jealousy  of  the  com- 
manding ofificers  —  an  emulation  which  may  take 
place,  indeed,  in  the  present  day,  but  can  hardly 
have  the  same  sense  of  wounded  pride  and  jealous 
dignity  attached  to  it  which  existed  in  times  when 
the  personal  honour  of  knighthood  rendered  those 
who  possessed  it  jealous  of  every  punctilio. 

So  many  little  debates  took  place  between  the 
two  knights,  that  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  thought 
himself  under  the  necessity  of  writing  to  his  uncle 
and  namesake,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  stating  that 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  103 

his  officer,  Sir  John  de  Walton,  had  unfortunately 
of  late  taken  some  degree  of  prejudice  against  him, 
and  that,  after  having  borne  with  many  provoking 
instances  of  his  displeasure,  he  was  now  compelled 
to  request  that  his  place  of  service  should  be 
changed  from  the  Castle  of  Douglas,  to  wherever 
honour  could  be  acquired,  and  time  might  be  given 
to  put  an  end  to  his  present  cause  of  complaint 
against  his  commanding  officer.  Through  the 
whole  letter,  young  Sir  Aymer  was  particularly 
cautious  how  he  expressed  his  sense  of  Sir  John  de 
Walton's  jealousy  or  severe  usage ;  but  such  sen- 
timents are  not  easily  concealed,  and  in  spite  of 
him  an  air  of  displeasure  glanced  out  from  several 
passages,  and  indicated  his  discontent  with  his 
uncle's  old  friend  and  companion  in  arms,  and 
with  the  sphere  of  military  duty  which  his  uncle 
had  himself  assigned  him. 

An  accidental  movement  among  the  English 
troops  brought  Sir  Aymer  an  answer  to  his  letter 
sooner  than  he  could  have  hoped  for  at  that  time 
of  day,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  correspondence, 
which  was  then  extremely  slow  and  interrupted. 

Pembroke,  a  rigid  old  warrior,  entertained  the 
most  partial  opinion  of  Sir  John  de  Walton,  who 
was  a  work  as  it  were  of  his  own  hands,  and  was 
indignant  to  find  that  his  nephew,  whom  he  con- 
sidered as  a  mere  boy,  elated  by  having  had  the 
dignity  of  knighthood  conferred  upon  him  at  an 
age  unusually  early,  did  not  absolutely  coincide 
with  him  in  this  opinion.  He  replied  to  him, 
accordingly,  in  a  tone  of  high  displeasure,  and 
expressed  himself  as  a  person  of  rank  would  write 
to  a  young  and  dependent  kinsman  upon  the  duties 
of  his  profession;  and,  as  he  gathered  his  nephew's 


I04  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

cause  of  complaint  from  his  own  letter,  lie  con- 
ceived that  he  did  him  no  injustice  in  making  it 
slighter  than  it  really  was.  He  reminded  the 
young  man  that  the  study  of  chivalry  consisted  in 
the  faithful  and  patient  discharge  of  military  ser- 
vice, whether  of  high  or  low  degree,  according  to 
the  circumstances  in  which  war  placed  the  cham- 
pion. That,  above  all,  the  post  of  danger,  which 
Douglas  Castle  had  been  termed  by  common  con- 
sent, was  also  the  post  of  honour;  and  that  a 
young  man  should  be  cautious  how  he  incurred  the 
supposition  of  being  desirous  of  quitting  his  pre- 
sent honourable  command,  because  he  was  tired  of 
the  discipline  of  a  military  director  so  renowned 
as  Sir  John  de  Walton.  Much  also  there  was,  as 
was  natural  in  a  letter  of  that  time,  concerning 
the  duty  of  young  men,  whether  in  council  or  in 
arms,  to  be  guided  implicitly  by  their  elders ;  and 
it  was  observed,  with  justice,  that  the  commanding 
officer,  who  had  put  himself  into  the  situation  of 
being  responsible  with  his  honour,  if  not  his  life, 
for  the  event  of  the  siege  or  blockade,  might  justly, 
and  in  a  degree  more  than  common,  claim  the 
implicit  direction  of  the  whole  defence.  Lastly, 
Pembroke  reminded  his  nephew  that  he  was,  in  a 
great  measure,  dependent  upon  the  report  of  Sir 
John  de  Walton  for  the  character  which  he  was  to 
sustain  in  after-life ;  and  reminded  him  that  a  few 
actions  of  headlong  and  inconsiderate  valour  would 
not  so  firmly  found  his  military  reputation,  as 
months  and  years  spent  in  regular,  humble,  and 
steady  obedience  to  the  commands  which  the 
governor  of  Douglas  Castle  might  think  necessary 
in  so  dangerous  a  conjuncture. 

This  missive  arrived  within  so  short  a  time  after 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  105 

the  despatch  of  the  letter  to  which  it  was  a  reply, 
that  Sir  Aymer  was  almost  tempted  to  suppose 
that  his  uncle  had  some  mode  of  corresponding 
with  De  "VValton,  unknown  to  the  young  knight 
himself,  and  to  the  rest  of  the  garrison.  And  as 
the  earl  alluded  to  some  particular  displeasure 
which  had  been  exhibited  by  De  Valence  on  a  late 
trivial  occasion,  his  uncle's  knowledge  of  this, 
and  other  minutise,  seemed  to  confirm  his  idea  that 
his  own  conduct  was  watched  in  a  manner  which 
he  did  not  feel  honourable  to  himself,  or  dignified 
on  the  part  of  his  relative;  in  a  word,  he  con- 
ceived himself  exposed  to  that  sort  of  surveillance 
of  which,  in  all  ages,  the  young  have  accused  the 
old.  It  hardly  needs  to  say,  that  the  admonition 
of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke  greatly  chafed  the  fiery 
spirit  of  his  nephew;  insomuch,  that  if  t'he  earl 
had  wished  to  write  a  letter  purposely  to  increase 
the  prejudices  which  he  desired  to  put  an  end  to, 
he  could  not  have  made  use  of  terms  better  calcu- 
lated for  that  effect. 

The  truth  was  that  the  old  archer  Gilbert  Green- 
leaf  had,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  young 
knight,  gone  to  Pembroke's  camp,  in  Ayrshire, 
and  was  recommended  by  Sir  John  de  Walton  to 
the  earl,  as  a  person  who  could  give  such  minute 
information  respecting  Aymer  de  Valence  as  he 
might  desire  to  receive.  The  old  archer  was,  as 
we  have  seen,  a  formalist,  and  when  pressed  on 
some  points  of  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence's  discipline, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  throw  out  hints,  which, 
connected  with  those  in  the  knight's  letter  to  his 
uncle,  made  the  severe  old  earl  adopt  too  implicitly 
the  idea  that  his  nephew  was  indulging  a  spirit  of 
insubordination,  and^a  sense  of  impatience  under 


io6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

authority,  most  dangerous  to  the  character  of  a 
young  soldier.  A  little  explanation  might  have 
produced  a  complete  agreement  in  the  sentiments 
of  both;  but  for  this,  fate  allowed  neither  time 
nor  opportunity;  and  the  old  earl  was  unfortu- 
nately induced  to  become  a  party,  instead  of  a 
negotiator,  in  the  quarrel, 

And  by  decision  more  embroil'd  the  fray. 

Sir  John  de  Walton  soon  perceived  that  the 
receipt  of  Pembroke's  letter  did  not  in  any  respect 
alter  the  cold  ceremonious  conduct  of  his  lieute- 
nant towards  him,  which  limited  their  intercourse 
to  what  their  situation  rendered  indispensable, 
and  exhibited  no  advances  to  any  more  frank  or 
intimate  connection.  Thus,  as  may  sometimes  be 
the  case  between  officers  in  their  relative  situa- 
tions even  at  the  present  day,  they  remained  in 
that  cold  stiff  degree  of  official  communication,  in 
which  their  intercourse  was  limited  to  as  few 
expressions  as  the  respective  duties  of  their  situa- 
tion absolutely  demanded.  Such  a  state  of  mis- 
understanding is,  in  fact,  worse  than  a  downright 
quarrel ;  —  the  latter  may  be  explained  or  apolo- 
gised for,  or  become  the  subject  of  mediation ;  but 
in  such  a  case  as  the  former,  an  eclaircissement  is 
as  unlikely  to  take  place  as  a  general  engagement 
between  two  armies  which  have  taken  up  strong 
defensive  positions  on  both  sides.  Duty,  however, 
obliged  the  two  principal  persons  in  the  garrison 
of  Douglas  Castle  to  be  often  together,  when  they 
were  so  far  from  seeking  an  opportunity  of  making 
up  matters,  that  they  usually  revived  ancient 
subjects  of  debate. 

It  was  upon  such  an  occasion  that  De  Walton, 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  107 

in  a  very  formal  manner,  asked  De  Valence  in 
what  capacity,  and  for  how  long  time,  it  was  his 
pleasure  that  the  minstrel,  called  Bertram,  should 
remain  at  the  castle. 

"  A  week, "  said  the  governor,  "  is  certainly  long 
enough,  in  this  time  and  place,  to  express  the  hos- 
pitality due  to  a  minstrel.  " 

"  Certainly, "  replied  the  young  man,  "  I  have 
not  interest  enough  in  the  subject  to  form  a  single 
wish  upon  it. " 

"  In  that  case, "  resumed  De  Walton,  "  T  shall 
request  of  this  person  to  cut  short  his  visit  at  the 
Castle  of  Douglas. " 

"  I  know  no  particular  interest, "  replied  Aymer 
de  Valence,  "  which  I  can  possibly  have  in  this 
man's  motions.  He  is  here  under  pretence  of 
making  some  researches  after  the  writings  of 
Thomas  of  Erceldoun,  called  the  Rhymer,  which 
he  says  are  infinitely  curious,  and  of  which  there 
is  a  volume  in  the  old  Baron's  study,  saved  some- 
how from  the  flames  at  the  last  conflagration. 
This  told,  you  know  as  much  of  his  errand  as  I 
do;  and  if  you  hold  the  presence  of  a  wandering 
old  man,  and  the  neighbourhood  of  a  boy,  dan- 
gerous to  the  castle  under  your  charge,  you  will  no 
doubt  do  well  to  dismiss  them  —  it  will  cost  but  a 
word  of  your  mouth.  " 

"  Pardon  me, "  said  De  Walton ;  "  the  minstrel 
came  here  as  one  of  your  retinue,  and  I  could  not, 
in  fitting  courtesy,  send  him  away  without  your 
leave.  '^ 

"  I  am  sorry,  then, "  answered  Sir  Aymer,  "  in 
my  turn,  that  you  did  not  mention  your  purpose 
sooner.  I  never  entertained  a  dependent  vassal  or 
servant,   whose  residence   in  the   castle  I  would 


io8  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

wish  to  have   prolonged  a  moment   beyond   youi 
honourable  pleasure. " 

"  I  am  sorry, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton,  "  that 
we  two  have  of  late  grown  so  extremely  courteous 
that  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  understand  each  other. 
This  minstrel  and  his  son  come  from  we  know  not 
where,  and  are  bound  we  know  not  whither. 
There  is  a  report  among  some  of  your  escort  that 
this  fellow  Bertram  upon  the  way  had  the  audacity 
to  impugn,  even  to  your  face,  the  King  of  Eng- 
land's right  to  the  crown  of  Scotland,  and  that 
he  debated  the  point  with  you,  while  your  other 
attendants  were  desired  by  you  to  keep  behind 
and  out  of  hearing. " 

"  Hah !  "  said  Sir  Aymer,  "  do  you  mean  to 
found  on  that  circumstance  any  charge  against 
my  loyalty  ?  I  pray  you  to  observe,  that  such 
an  averment  would  touch  mine  honour,  which 
I  am  ready  and  willing  to  defend  to  the  last 
gasp. " 

"  No  doubt  of  it.  Sir  Knight, "  answered  the 
governor;  "but  it  is  the  strolling  minstrel,  and 
not  the  high-born  English  knight,  against  whom 
the  charge  is  brought.  Well !  the  minstrel  comes 
to  this  castle,  and  he  intimates  a  wish  that  his 
son  should  be  allowed  to  take  up  his  quarters  at 
the  little  old  convent  of  St.  Bride,  where  two  or 
three  Scottish  nuns  and  friars  are  still  permitted 
to  reside,  most  of  them  rather  out  of  respect  to 
their  order  than  for  any  good-will  which  they  are 
supposed  to  bear  the  English  or  their  sovereign. 
It  may  also  be  noticed,  that  this  leave  was  pur- 
chased by  a  larger  sum  of  money,  if  my  informa- 
tion be  correct,  than  is  usually  to  be  found  in  the 
purses  of  travelling  minstrels,  a  class  of  wanderers 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  109 

alike  remarkable  for  their  poverty  and  for  their 
genius.     What  do  you  think  of  all  this  ? " 

"  I  ?  "  replied  De  Valence.  "  I  am  happy  that 
my  situation,  as  a  soldier  under  command,  alto- 
gether dispenses  with  my  thinking  of  it  at  all. 
My  post,  as  lieutenant  of  your  castle,  is  such,  that 
if  I  can  manage  matters  so  as  to  call  my  honour 
and  my  soul  my  own,  I  must  think  that  quite 
enough  of  free-will  is  left  at  my  command ;  and  I 
promise  you  shall  not  have  again  to  reprove,  or 
send  a  bad  report  of  me  to  my  uncle,  on  that 
account. " 

"  This  is  beyond  sufferance !  "  said  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  half  aside,  and  then  proceeded  aloud  — 
"  Do  not,  for  Heaven's  sake,  do  yourself  and  me 
the  injustice  of  supposing  that  I  am  endeavouring 
to  gain  an  advantage  over  you  by  these  questions. 
Recollect,  young  knight,  that  when  you  evade 
giving  your  commanding  officer  your  advice  when 
required,  you  fail  as  much  in  point  of  duty  as  if 
you  declined  affording  him  the  assistance  of  your 
sword  and  lance. " 

"  Such  being  the  case, "  answered  De  Valence, 
"  let  me  know  plainly  on  what  matter  it  is  that 
you  require  my  opinion  ?  I  will  deliver  it  plainly, 
and  stand  by  the  result,  even  if  I  should  have  the 
misfortune  (a  crime  unpardonable  in  so  young  a 
man,  and  so  inferior  an  officer)  to  differ  from  that 
of  Sir  John  de  Walton. " 

"  I  would  ask  you  then.  Sir  Knight  of  Valence, " 
answered  the  governor,  "  what  is  your  opinion 
with  respect  to  this  minstrel,  Bertram,  and  whether 
the  suspicions  respecting  him  and  his  son  are  not 
such  as  to  call  upon  me,  in  performance  of  my 
duty,  to  put   them  to  a  close  examination,   with 


HO  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  question  ordinary  and  extraordinary,  as  is 
usual  in  such  cases,  and  to  expel  them  not  only 
from  the  castle,  but  from  the  whole  territory  of 
Douglas  Dale,  under  pain  of  scourging  if  they  be 
again  found  wandering  in  these  parts  ?  " 

"  You  ask  me  my  opinion, "  said  De  Valence, 
"  and  you  shall  have  it.  Sir  Knight  of  Walton,  as 
freely  and  fairly  as  if  matters  stood  betwixt  us  on 
a  footing  as  friendly  as  they  ever  did.  I  agree 
with  you,  that  most  of  those  who  in  these  days 
profess  the  science  of  minstrelsy  are  altogether 
unqualified  to  support  the  higher  pretensions  of 
that  noble  order.  Minstrels  by  right  are  men  who 
have  dedicated  themselves  to  the  noble  occupation 
of  celebrating  knightly  deeds  and  generous  prin- 
ciples ;  it  is  in  their  verse  that  the  valiant  knight 
is  handed  down  to  fame,  and  the  poet  has  a  right, 
nay  is  bound,  to  emulate  the  virtues  which  he 
praises.  The  looseness  of  the  times  has  dimi- 
nished the  consequence  and  impaired  the  morality 
of  this  class  of  wanderers;  their  satire  and  their 
praise  are  now  too  often  distributed  on  no  other 
principle  than  love  of  gain ;  yet  let  us  hope  that 
there  are  still  among  them  some  who  know,  and 
also  willingly  perform,  their  duty.  My  own 
opinion  is,  that  this  Bertram  holds  himself  as  one 
who  has  not  shared  in  the  degradation  of  his 
brethren,  nor  bent  the  knee  to  the  mammon  of  the 
time;  it  must  remain  with  you,  sir,  to  judge 
whether  such  a  person,  honourably  and  morally 
disposed,  can  cause  any  danger  to  the  Castle  of 
Douglas.  But  believing,  from  the  sentiments  he 
has  manifested  to  me,  that  he  is  incapable  of 
playing  the  part  of  a  traitor,  I  must  strongly 
remonstrate  against  his  being  punished  as  one,  or 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  in 

subjected  to  the  torture  within  the  walls  of  an 
English  garrison.  I  should  blush  for  my  country, 
if  it  required  of  us  to  inflict  such  wanton  misery 
upon  wanderers,  whose  sole  fault  is  poverty ;  and 
your  own  knightly  sentiments  will  suggest  more 
than  would  become  me  to  state  to  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  unless  in  so  far  as  is  necessary  to  apolo- 
gise for  retaining  my  own  opinion.  " 

Sir  John  de  Walton's  dark  brow  was  stricken 
with  red  when  he  heard  an  opinion  delivered  in 
opposition  to  his  own,  which  plainly  went  to  stig- 
matise his  advice  as  ungenerous,  unfeeling,  and 
unknightly.  He  made  an  effort  to  preserve  his 
temper,  while  he  thus  replied  with  a  degree  of 
calmness.  "  You  have  given  your  opinion.  Sir 
Aymer  de  Valence ;  and  that  you  have  given  it 
openly  and  boldly,  without  regard  to  my  own,  I 
thank  you.  It  is  not  quite  so  clear  that  I  am 
obliged  to  defer  my  own  sentiments  to  yours,  in 
case  the  rules  on  which  I  hold  my  office  —  the 
commands  of  the  king  —  and  the  observations 
which  I  may  personally  have  made,  shall  recom- 
mend to  me  a  different  line  of  conduct  from  that 
which  you  think  it  right  to  suggest. " 

De  Walton  bowed,  in  conclusion,  with  great 
gravity;  and  the  young  knight,  returning  the 
reverence  with  exactly  the  same  degree  of  stiff 
formality,  asked  whether  there  were  any  particu- 
lar orders  respecting  his  duty  in  the  castle,  and, 
having  received  an  answer  in  the  negative,  took 
his  departure. 

Sir  John  de  Walton,  after  an  expression  of  im- 
patience, as  if  disappointed  at  finding  that  the 
advance  which  he  had  made  towards  an  explana- 
tion with  his  young  friend  had  proved  unexpectedly 


112  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

abortive,  composed  his  brow  as  if  to  deep  thought, 
and  walked  several  times  to  and  fro  in  the  apart- 
ment, considering  what  course  he  was  to  take  in 
these  circumstances.  "  It  is  hard  to  censure  him 
severely, "  he  said,  "  when  I  recollect  that,  on  first 
entering  upon  life,  my  own  thoughts  and  feelings 
would  have  been  the  same  with  those  of  this  giddy 
and  hot-headed,  but  generous  boy.  Now  prudence 
teaches  me  to  suspect  mankind  in  a  thousand 
instances  where  perhaps  there  is  not  sufficient 
ground.  If  I  am  disposed  to  venture  my  own 
honour  and  fortune,  rather  than  an  idle  travelling 
minstrel  should  sufifer  a  little  pain,  which  at  all 
events  I  might  make  up  to  him  by  money,  still, 
have  I  a  right  to  run  the  risk  of  a  conspiracy 
against  the  king,  and  thus  advance  the  treasonable 
surrender  of  the  Castle  of  Douglas,  for  which  I 
know  so  many  schemes  are  formed;  for  which, 
too,  none  can  be  imagined  so  desperate  but  agents 
will  be  found  bold  enough  to  undertake  the  execu- 
tion ?  A  man  who  holds  my  situation,  although 
the  slave  of  conscience,  ought  to  learn  to  set  aside 
those  false  scruples  which  assume  the  appearance 
of  flowing  from  our  own  moral  feeling,  whereas 
they  are  in  fact  instilled  by  the  suggestion  of 
affected  delicacy.  I  will  not,  I  swear  by  Heaven, 
be  infected  by  the  follies  of  a  boy  such  as  Aymer ; 
I  will  not,  that  I  may  defer  to  his  caprices,  lose 
all  that  love,  honour,  and  ambition  can  propose, 
for  the  reward  of  twelve  months'  service,  of  a 
nature  the  most  watchful  and  unpleasant.  I  will 
go  straight  to  my  point,  and  use  the  ordinary  pre- 
cautions in  Scotland,  which  I  should  employ  in 
Kormandy  or  Gascoigny.  —  What  ho  I  page !  who 
waits  there  ? " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  113 

One  of  his  attendants  replied  to  his  summons. 
"  Seek  me  out  Gilbert  Greenleaf  the  archer,  and 
tell  him  I  would  speak  with  him  touching  the  two 
bows  and  the  sheaf  of  arrows  concerning  which  I 
gave  him  a  commission  to  Ayr. " 

A  few  minutes  intervened  after  the  order  was 
given,  when  the  archer  entered,  holding  in  his 
hand  two  bow-staves,  not  yet  fashioned,  and  a 
number  of  arrows  secured  together  with  a  thong. 
He  bore  the  mysterious  looks  of  one  whose  apparent 
business  is  not  of  very  great  consequence,  but  is 
meant  as  a  passport  for  other  affairs  which  are  in 
themselves  of  a  secret  nature.  Accordingly,  as 
the  knight  was  silent,  and  afforded  no  other 
opening  for  Greenleaf,  that  judicious  negotiator 
proceeded  to  enter  upon  such  as  was  open  to 
him. 

"  Here  are  the  bow-staves,  noble  sir,  which  you 
desired  me  to  obtain  while  I  was  at  Ayr  with  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke's  army.  They  are  not  so  good 
as  I  could  have  wished,  yet  are  perhaps  of  better 
quality  than  could  have  been  procured  by  any 
other  than  a  fair  judge  of  the  weapon.  The  Earl 
of  Pembroke's  whole  camp  are  frantic  mad  in 
order  to  procure  real  Spanish  staves  from  the 
Groyne,  and  other  ports  in  Spain ;  but  though  two 
vessels  laden  with  such  came  into  the  port  of  Ayr, 
said  to  be  for  the  king's  army,  yet  I  believe  never 
one  half  of  them  have  come  into  English  hands. 
These  two  grew  in  Sherwood,  which,  having  been 
seasoned  since  the  time  of  Kobin  Hood,  are  not 
likely  to  fail  either  in  strength  or  in  aim,  in  so 
strong  a  hand,  and  with  so  just  an  eye,  as  those  of 
the  men  who  wait  on  your  worship. " 

"  And  who  has  got  the  rest,  since  two  ships* 
8 


114  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

cargoes  of  new  bow-staves  are  arrived  at  Ayr,  and 
thou  with  difficulty  hast  only  procured  me  two  old 
ones  ?  "  said  the  governor. 

"  Faith,  I  pretend  not  skill  enough  to  know, " 
answered  Greenleaf,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
"  Talk  there  is  of  plots  in  that  country  as  well  as 
here.  It  is  said  that  their  Bruce,  and  the  rest  of 
his  kinsmen,  intend  a  new  May-game,  and  that 
the  outlawed  king  proposes  to  land  near  to  Turn- 
berry,  early  in  summer,  with  a  number  of  stout 
kernes  from  Ireland ;  and  no  doubt  the  men  of  his 
mock  earldom  of  Carrick  are  getting  them  ready 
with  bow  and  spear  for  so  hopeful  an  undertaking. 
I  reckon  that  it  will  not  cost  us  the  expense  of 
more  than  a  few  score  of  sheaves  of  arrows  to  put 
all  that  matter  to  rights.  " 

"  Do  you  talk,  then,  of  conspiracies  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  Greenleaf  ?  "  said  De  Walton.  "  I 
know  you  are  a  sagacious  fellow,  well  bred  for 
many  a  day  to  the  use  of  the  bent  stick  and  string, 
and  will  not  allow  such  a  practice  to  go  on  under 
thy  nose,  without  taking  notice  of  it. " 

"  I  am  old  enough.  Heaven  knows, "  said  Green- 
leaf, "  and  have  had  good  experience  of  these  Scot- 
tish wars,  and  know  well  whether  these  native 
Scots  are  a  people  to  be  trusted  to  by  knight  or 
yeoman.  Say  they  are  a  false  generation,  and  say 
a  good  archer  told  you  so,  who,  with  a  fair  aim, 
seldom  missed  a  handsbreadth  of  the  white.  Ah! 
sir,  your  honour  knows  how  to  deal  with  them  — 
ride  them  strongly,  and  rein  them  hard  —  you  are 
not  like  those  simple  novices  who  imagine  that  all 
is  to  be  done  by  gentleness,  and  wish  to  parade 
themselves  as  courteous  and  generous  to  those 
faithless  mountaineers,  who  never,  in  the  course 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  115 

of  their  lives,  knew  any  tincture  either  of  cour- 
teousness  or  generosity. " 

"  Thou  alludest  to  some  one, "  said  the  governor, 
"  and  I  charge  thee,  Gilbert,  to  be  plain  and  sin- 
cere with  me.  Thou  knowest,  methinks,  that  in 
trusting  me  thou  wilt  come  to  no  harm  ?  " 

"  It  is  true,  it  is  true,  sir, "  said  the  old  remnant 
of  the  wars,  carrying  his  hand  to  his  brow,  "  but 
it  were  imprudent  to  communicate  all  the  remarks 
which  float  through  an  old  man's  brain  in  the  idle 
moments  of  such  a  garrison  as  this.  One  stumbles 
unawares  on  fantasies,  as  well  as  realities,  and 
thus  one  gets,  not  altogether  undeservedly,  the 
character  of  a  talebearer  and  mischief-maker  among 
his  comrades,  and  methinks  I  would  not  willingly 
fall  under  that  accusation.  " 

"  Speak  frankly  to  me, "  answered  De  Walton, 
"  and  have  no  fear  of  being  misconstrued,  whoso- 
ever the  conversation  may  concern. " 

"  Nay,  in  plain  truth, "  answered  Gilbert,  "  I 
fear  not  the  greatness  of  this  young  knight,  being, 
as  I  am,  the  oldest  soldier  in  the  garrison,  and 
having  drawn  a  bow-string  long  and  many  a  day 
ere  he  was  weaned  from  his  nurse's  breast." 

"  It  is,  then, "  said  De  Walton,  "  my  lieutenant 
and  friend,  Aymer  de  Valence,  at  whom  your  sus- 
picions point  ? " 

"  At  nothing, "  replied  the  archer,  "  touching  the 
honour  of  the  young  knight  himself,  who  is  as 
brave  as  the  sword  he  wears,  and,  his  youth  con- 
sidered, stands  high  in  the  roll  of  English  chi- 
valry; but  he  is  young,  as  your  worship  knows, 
and  I  own  that  in  the  choice  of  his  company  he 
disturbs  and  alarms  me. " 

"  Why,    you   know,    Greenleaf, "    answered    the 


ii6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

governor,  "  that  in  the  leisure  of  a  garrison  a 
knight  cannot  always  confine  his  sports  and  plea- 
sures among  those  of  his  own  rank,  who  are  not 
numerous,  and  may  not  be  so  gamesome  or  fond  of 
frolic  as  he  would  desire  them  to  be.  ** 

"  I  know  that  well, "  answered  the  archer,  "  nor 
would  I  say  a  word  concerning  your  honour's  lieu- 
tenant for  joining  any  honest  fellows,  however 
inferior  their  rank,  in  the  wrestling-ring,  or  at  a 
bout  of  quarterstafif.  But  if  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence 
has  a  fondness  for  martial  tales  of  former  days, 
methinks  he  had  better  learn  them  from  the 
ancient  soldiers  who  have  followed  Edward  the 
First,  whom  God  assoilzie,  and  w^ho  have  known 
before  his  time  the  Barons'  wars  and  other  on- 
slaughts, in  which  the  knights  and  archers  of 
merry  England  transmitted  so  many  gallant  actions 
to  be  recorded  by  fame ;  this  truly,  I  say,  were 
more  beseeming  the  Earl  of  Pembroke's  nephew, 
than  to  see  him  closet  himself  day  after  day  with 
a  strolling  minstrel,  who  gains  his  livelihood  by 
reciting  nonsense  and  lies  to  such  young  men  as 
are  fond  enough  to  believe  him,  of  whom  hardly 
any  one  knows  whether  he  be  English  or  Scottish 
in  his  opinions,  and  still  less  can  any  one  pretend 
to  say  whether  he  is  of  English  or  Scottish  birth, 
or  with  what  purpose  he  lies  lounging  about  this 
castle,  and  is  left  free  to  communicate  everything 
which  passes  within  it  to  those  old  mutterers  of 
matins  at  St.  Bride's,  who  say  with  their  tongues 
God  save  King  Edward,  but  pray  in  their  hearts 
God  save  King  Eobert  the  Bruce.  Such  a  com- 
munication he  can  easily  carry  on  by  means  of  his 
son,  who  lies  at  St.  Bride's  cell,  as  your  worship 
knows,  under  pretence  of  illness. " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  117 

"  How  do  you  say  ?  "  exclaimed  the  governor. 
"  Under  pretence  ?  Is  he  not  then  really  indis- 
posed ? " 

"  Nay,  he  may  be  sick  to  the  death  for  aught  1 
know, "  said  the  archer ;  "  but  if  so,  were  it  not 
then  more  natural  that  the  father  should  attend 
his  son's  sick-bed,  than  that  he  should  be  ranging 
about  this  castle,  where  one  eternally  meets  him 
in  the  old  Baron's  study,  or  in  some  corner  where 
you  least  expect  to  find  him  ? " 

"  If  he  has  no  lawful  object, "  replied  the  knight, 
"  it  might  be  as  you  say ;  but  he  is  said  to  be  in 
quest  of  ancient  poems  or  prophecies  of  Merlin,  of 
the  Ehymer,  or  some  other  old  bard ;  and  in  truth 
it  is  natural  for  him  to  wish  to  enlarge  his  stock 
of  knowledge  and  power  of  giving  amusement,  and 
where  should  he  find  the  means  save  in  a  study 
filled  with  ancient  books  ?  " 

"  No  doubt, "  replied  the  archer,  with  a  sort  of 
dry  civil  sneer  of  incredulity.  "  I  have  seldom 
known  an  insurrection  in  Scotland  but  that  it  was 
prophesied  by  some  old  forgotten  rhyme,  conjured 
out  of  dust  and  cobwebs,  for  the  sake  of  giving 
courage  to  those  North  Country  rebels,  who  durst 
not  otherwise  have  abidden  the  whistling  of  the 
grey-goose  shaft ;  but  curled  heads  are  hasty,  and, 
with  licence,  even  your  own  train.  Sir  Knight, 
retains  too  much  of  the  fire  of  youth  for  such  un- 
certain times  as  the  present. " 

"  Thou  hast  convinced  me,  Gilbert  Greenleaf, 
and  I  will  look  into  this  man's  business  and  occu- 
pation more  closely  than  hitherto.  This  is  no 
time  to  peril  the  safety  of  a  royal  castle  for  the 
sake  of  affecting  generosity  towards  a  man  of 
whom  we  know  so  little,  and   to  whom,  till  we 


ii8  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

receive  a  very  full  explanation,  we  may,  without 
doing  him  injustice,  attach  grave  suspicions.  Is  he 
now  in  the  apartment  called  the  Baron's  study?  " 

"  Your  worship  will  be  certain  to  find  him 
there,"  replied  Greenleaf. 

"  Then  follow  me,  with  two  or  three  of  thy  com- 
rades, and  keep  out  of  sight,  but  within  hearing : 
it  may  be  necessary  to  arrest  this  man. " 

"  My  assistance, "  said  the  old  archer,  "  shall  be 
at  hand  when  you  call,  but  " 

"  But  what  ?  "  said  the  knight.  "  I  hope  I  am 
not  to  find  doubts  and  disobedience  on  all  hands  1  " 

"  Certainly  not  on  mine, "  replied  Greenleaf ;  "  I 
would  only  remind  your  worship  that  what  I  have 
said  was  a  sincere  opinion  expressed  in  answer  to 
your  worship's  question;  and  that,  as  Sir  Aymer 
de  Valence  has  avowed  himself  the  patron  of  this 
man,  I  would  not  willingly  be  left  to  the  hazard 
of  his  revenge. " 

"  Pshaw  !  "  answered  De  Walton.  "  Is  Aymer 
de  Valence  governor  of  this  castle,  or  am  I  ?  Or 
to  whom  do  you  imagine  you  are  responsible  for 
answering  such  questions  as  I  may  put  to  you  ?  " 

"Nay,"  replied  the  archer,  secretly  not  dis- 
pleased at  seeing  De  Walton  show  some  little 
jealousy  of  his  own  authority,  "  believe  me,  Sir 
Knight,  that  I  know  my  own  station  and  your 
worship's,  and  that  I  am  not  now  to  be  told  to 
whom  I  owe  obedience. " 

"  To  the  study,  then,  and  let  us  find  the  man, " 
said  the  governor. 

"A  fine  matter  indeed,"  subjoined  Greenleaf, 
following  him,  "  that  your  worship  should  have 
to  go  in  person  to  look  after  the  arrest  of  so  mean 
an  individual.     But   your  honour  is  right:   these 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  119 

minstrels  are  often  jugglers,  and  possess  the  power 
of  making  their  escape  by  means  which  borrel^ 
folk  like  myself  are  disposed  to  attribute  to 
necromancy. " 

Without  attending  to  these  last  words,  Sir  John 
de  Walton  set  forth  towards  the  study,  walking  at 
a  quick  pace,  as  if  this  conversation  had  augmented 
his  desire  to  find  himself  in  possession  of  the  per- 
son of  the  suspected  minstrel. 

Traversing  the  ancient  passages  of  the  castle, 
the  governor  had  no  difficulty  in  reaching  the 
study,  which  was  strongly  vaulted  with  stone,  and 
furnished  with  a  sort  of  iron  cabinet,  intended  for 
the  preservation  of  articles  and  papers  of  value,  in 
case  of  fire.  Here  he  found  the  minstrel  seated  at 
a  small  table,  sustaining  before  him  a  manuscript, 
apparently  of  great  antiquity,  from  which  he 
seemed  engaged  in  making  extracts.  The  windows 
of  the  room  were  very  small,  and  still  showed 
some  traces  that  they  had  originally  been  glazed 
with  a  painted  history  of  St.  Bride  —  another 
mark  of  the  devotion  of  the  great  family  of  Douglas 
to  their  tutelar  saint. 

The  minstrel,  who  had  seemed  deeply  wrapped 
in  the  contemplation  of  his  task,  on  being  dis- 
turbed by  the  unlooked-for  entrance  of  Sir  John 
de  Walton,  rose  with  every  mark  of  respect  and 
humility,  and,  remaining  standing  in  the  gover- 
nor's presence,  appeared  to  wait  for  his  inter- 
rogations, as  if  he  had  anticipated  that  the  visit 
concerned  himself  particularly. 

"  I  am  to  suppose.  Sir  Minstrel, "  said  Sir  John 
de  Walton,  "  that  you  have  been  successful  in  your 
search,  and  have  found  the  roll  of  poetry  or  pro- 

1  Unlearned. 


120  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

phecies  that  you  proposed  to  seek  after  amongst 
these  broken  shelves  and  tattered  volumes  ?  " 

"  More  successful  than  I  could  have  expected, " 
replied  the  minstrel,  "considering  the  effects  of 
the  conflagration.  This,  Sir  Knight,  is  apparently 
the  fatal  volume  for  which  I  sought,  and  strange 
it  is,  considering  the  heavy  chance  of  other  books 
contained  in  this  library,  that  I  have  been  able  to 
find  a  few  though  imperfect  fragments  of  it. " 

"  Since,  therefore,  you  have  been  permitted  to 
indulge  your  curiosity, "  said  the  governor,  "  I 
trust,  minstrel,  you  will  have  no  objection  to 
satisfy  mine  ? " 

The  minstrel  replied  with  the  same  humility, 
"  that  if  there  was  anything  within  the  poor  com- 
pass of  his  skill  which  could  gratify  Sir  John  de 
Walton  in  any  degree,  he  would  but  reach  his 
lute,  and  presently  obey  his  commands. " 

"  You  mistake,  sir, "  said  Sir  John,  somewhat 
harshly.  "  I  am  none  of  those  who  have  hours 
to  spend  in  listening  to  tales  or  music  of  former 
days;  my  life  has  hardly  given  me  time  enough 
for  learning  the  duties  of  my  profession,  far  less 
has  it  allowed  me  leisure  for  such  twangling  fol- 
lies. I  care  not  who  knows  it,  but  my  ear  is  so 
incapable  of  judging  of  your  art,  which  you  doubt- 
less think  a  noble  one,  that  I  can  scarcely  tell  the 
modulation  of  one  tune  from  another. " 

"  In  that  case,"  replied  the  minstrel  composedly, 
"  I  can  hardly  promise  myself  the  pleasure  of 
affording  your  worship  the  amusement  which  I 
might  otherwise  have  done. " 

"  Nor  do  I  look  for  any  at  your  hand, "  said  the 
governor,  advancing  a  step  nearer  to  him,  and 
speaking  in  a  sterner  tone.     "  I  want  information, 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  121 

sir,  which  I  am  assured  you  can  give  me,  if  you 
incline ;  and  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you,  that  if  you 
show  unwillingness  to  speak  the  truth,  I  know 
means  by  which  it  will  become  my  painful  duty 
to  extort  it  in  a  more  disagreeable  manner  than  I 
would  wish. " 

"  If  your  questions.  Sir  Knight, "  answered  Ber- 
tram, "  be  such  as  I  can  or  ought  to  answer,  there 
shall  be  no  occasion  to  put  them  more  than  once. 
If  they  are  such  as  I  cannot  or  ought  not  to  reply 
to,  believe  me  that  no  threats  of  violence  will 
extort  an  answer  from  me. " 

"  You  speak  boldly, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton ; 
"  but  take  my  word  for  it,  that  your  courage  will  be 
put  to  the  test.  I  am  as  little  fond  of  proceeding 
to  such  extremities  as  you  can  be  of  undergoing 
them,  but  such  will  be  the  natural  consequence  of 
your  own  obstinacy.  I  therefore  ask  you,  whether 
Bertram  be  your  real  name  —  whether  you  have 
any  other  profession  than  that  of  a  travelling 
minstrel  —  and,  lastly,  whether  you  have  any  ac- 
quaintance or  connection  with  any  Englishman  or 
Scottishman  beyond  the  walls  of  this  Castle  of 
Douglas  ? " 

"  To  these  questions, "  replied  the  minstrel,  "  I 
have  already  answered  the  worshipful  knight,  Sir 
Aymer  de  Valence,  and,  having  fully  satisfied 
him,  it  is  not,  I  conceive,  necessary  that  I  should 
undergo  a  second  examination ;  nor  is  it  consistent 
either  with  your  worship's  honour,  or  that  of  the 
lieutenant-governor,  that  such  a  re-examination 
should  take  place. " 

"  You  are  very  considerate, "  replied  the  gover- 
nor, "  of  my  honour  and  of  that  of  Sir  Aymer  de 
Valence.     Take  my  word  for  it,  they  are  both  in 


122  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

perfect  safety  in  our  own  keeping,  and  may  dis- 
pense with  your  attention.  I  ask  you,  will  you 
answer  the  inquiries  which  it  is  my  duty  to  make, 
or  am  I  to  enforce  obedience  by  putting  you  under 
the  penalties  of  the  question  ?  I  have  already,  it 
is  my  duty  to  say,  seen  the  answers  you  have 
Returned  to  my  lieutenant,  and  they  do  not  satisfy 
me." 

He  at  the  same  time  clapped  his  hands,  and  two 
or  three  archers  showed  themselves,  stripped  of 
their  tunics,  and  only  attired  in  their  shirts  and 
hose. 

"  I  understand, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  that  you 
intend  to  inflict  upon  me  a  punishment  which  is 
foreign  to  the  genius  of  the  English  laws,  in  that 
no  proof  is  adduced  of  my  guilt.  I  have  already 
told  that  I  am  by  birth  an  Englishman,  by  profes- 
sion a  minstrel,  and  that  I  am  totally  unconnected 
with  any  person  likely  to  nourish  any  design 
against  this  Castle  of  Douglas,  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  or  his  garrison.  What  answers  you  may 
extort  from  me  by  bodily  agony,  I  cannot,  to  speak 
as  a  plain-dealing  Christian,  hold  myself  respon- 
sible for.  I  think  that  I  can  endure  as  much  pain 
as  any  one ;  I  am  sure  that  I  never  yet  felt  a  de- 
gree of  agony  that  I  would  not  willingly  prefer 
to  breaking  my  plighted  word,  or  becoming  a  false 
informer  against  innocent  persons,  but  I  own  I  do 
not  know  the  extent  to  which  the  art  of  torture 
may  be  carried ;  and  though  I  do  not  fear  you.  Sir 
John  de  Walton,  yet  I  must  acknowledge  that  I 
fear  myself,  since  I  know  not  to  what  extremity 
your  cruelty  may  be  capable  of  subjecting  me,  or 
how  far  I  may  be  enabled  to  bear  it.  I,  therefore, 
in  the  first  place,  protest,  that  I  shall  in  no  man- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  123 

ner  be  liable  for  any  words  which  I  may  utter  in 
the  course  of  any  examination  enforced  from  me 
by  torture ;  and  you  must  therefore,  under  such 
circumstances,  proceed  to  the  execution  of  an 
office,  which,  permit  me  to  say,  is  hardly  that 
which  I  expected  to  have  found  thus  administered 
by  an  accomplished  knight  like  yourself. " 

"  Hark  you,  sir, "  replied  the  governor,  **  you 
and  I  are  at  issue,  and  in  doing  my  duty  I  ought 
instantly  to  proceed  to  the  extremities  I  have 
threatened;  but  perhaps  you  yourself  feel  less 
reluctance  to  undergo  the  examination  as  proposed, 
than  I  shall  do  in  commanding  it ;  I  will  therefore 
consign  you  for  the  present  to  a  place  of  confine- 
ment suitable  to  one  who  is  suspected  of  being  a 
spy  upon  this  fortress.  Until  you  are  pleased  to 
remove  such  suspicions,  your  lodgings  and  nourish- 
ment are  those  of  a  prisoner.  In  the  meantime, 
before  subjecting  you  to  the  question,  take  notice, 
I  will  myself  ride  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Bride,  and 
satisfy  myself  whether  the  young  person  whom 
you  would  pass  as  your  son  is  possessed  of  the 
same  determination  as  that  which  you  yourself 
seem  to  assert.  It  may  so  happen  that  his  exami- 
nation and  yours  may  throw  such  light  upon  each 
other  as  will  decidedly  prove  either  your  guilt  or 
innocence,  without  its  being  confirmed  by  the  use 
of  the  extraordinary  question.  If  it  be  otherwise, 
tremble  for  your  son's  sake,  if  not  for  your  own. 
—  Have  I  shaken  you,  sir  ?  —  or  do  you  fear,  for 
your  boy's  young  sinews  and  joints,  the  engines 
which,  in  your  own  case,  you  seem  willing  to 
defy  ?  " 

"  Sir,  '*  answered  the  minstrel,  recovering  from 
the  momentary  emotion  he  had  shown,  "  I  leave  it 


124  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

to  yourself,  as  a  man  of  honour  and  candour, 
whether  you  ought,  in  common  fairness,  to  form  a 
worse  opinion  of  any  man,  because  he  is  not  un- 
willing to  incur,  in  his  own  person,  severities 
which  he  would  not  desire  to  be  inflicted  upon  his 
child,  a  sickly  youth,  just  recovering  from  a  dan- 
gerous disease. " 

"  It  is  my  duty, "  answered  De  Walton,  after 
a  short  pause,  "  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  by 
which  this  business  may  be  traced  to  the  source ; 
and  if  thou  desirest  mercy  for  thy  son,  thou  wilt 
thyself  most  easily  attain  it,  by  setting  him  the 
example  of  honesty  and  plain-dealing. " 

The  minstrel  threw  himself  back  on  the  seat,  as 
if  fully  resolved  to  bear  every  extremity  that  could 
be  inflicted,  rather  than  make  any  further  answer 
than  he  had  already  offered.  Sir  John  de  Walton 
himself  seemed  in  some  degree  uncertain  what 
might  now  be  his  best  course.  He  felt  an  invin- 
cible repugnance  to  proceed,  without  due  consi- 
deration, in  what  most  people  would  have  deemed 
the  direct  line  of  his  duty,  by  inflicting  the  torture 
both  upon  father  and  son;  but  deep  as  was  his 
sense  of  devotion  towards  the  king,  and  numerous 
as  were  the  hopes  and  expectations  he  had  formed 
upon  the  strict  discharge  of  his  present  high  trust, 
he  could  not  resolve  upon  having  recourse  at  once 
to  this  cruel  method  of  cutting  the  knot.  Ber- 
tram's appearance  was  venerable,  and  his  power 
of  words  not  unworthy  of  his  aspect  and  bearing. 
The  governor  remembered  that  Aymer  de  Valence, 
whose  judgment  in  general  it  was  impossible  to 
deny,  had  described  him  as  one  of  those  rare  indi- 
viduals, who  vindicated  the  honour  of  a  corrupted 
profession  by  their  personal  good  behaviour ;  and 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  125 

he  acknowledged  to  himself,  that  there  was  gross 
cruelty  and  injustice  in  refusing  to  admit  the 
prisoner  to  the  credit  of  being  a  true  and  honest 
man,  until,  by  way  of  proving  his  rectitude,  he 
had  strained  every  sinew,  and  crushed  every  joint 
in  his  body,  as  well  as  those  of  his  son.  "  I  have 
no  touchstone, "  he  said  internally,  "  which  can 
distinguish  truth  from  falsehood;  the  Bruce  and 
his  followers  are  on  the  alert  —  he  has  certainly 
equipped  the  galleys  which  lay  at  Kachrin  during 
winter.  This  story,  too,  of  Greenleaf,  about  arms 
being  procured  for  a  new  insurrection,  tallies 
strangely  with  the  appearance  of  that  savage- 
looking  forester  at  the  hunt;  and  all  tends  to 
show,  that  something  is  upon  the  anvil  which  it  is 
my  duty  to  provide  against.  I  will,  therefore,  pass 
over  no  circumstance  by  which  I  can  affect  the 
mind  through  hope  or  fear;  but,  please  God  to 
give  me  light  from  any  other  source,  I  will  not 
think  it  lawful  to  torment  these  unfortunate  and, 
it  may  yet  be,  honest  men.  "  He  accordingly  took 
his  departure  from  the  library,  whispering  a  word 
to  Greenleaf  respecting  the  prisoner. 

He  had  reached  the  outward  door  of  the  study, 
and  his  satellites  had  already  taken  the  minstrel 
into  their  grasp,  when  the  voice  of  the  old  man 
was  heard  calling  upon  De  Walton  to  return  for 
a  single  moment. 

"  What  hast  thou  to  say,  sir  ? "  said  the  gover- 
nor. "  Be  speedy,  for  I  have  already  lost  more 
time  in  listening  to  thee  than  I  am  answerable  for, 
and  so  I  advise  thee  for  thine  own  sake  " 

"  I  advise  thee, "  said  the  minstrel,  "  for  thine 
own  sake.  Sir  John  de  Walton,  to  beware  how 
thou  dost  insist  on  thy  present  purpose,  by  which 


126  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

thou  thyself  alone,  of  all  men  living,  will  most 
severely  suffer.  If  thou  harmest  a  hair  of  that 
young  man's  head  —  nay,  if  thou  permittest  him 
to  undergo  any  privation  which  it  is  in  thy  power 
to  prevent,  thou  wilt,  in  doing  so,  prepare  for 
thine  own  suffering  a  degree  of  agony  more  acute 
than  anything  else  in  this  mortal  world  could 
cause  thee.  I  swear  by  the  most  blessed  objects 
of  our  holy  religion;  I  call  to  witness  that  holy 
sepulchre,  of  which  I  have  been  an  unworthy 
visitor,  that  I  speak  nothing  but  the  truth,  and 
that  thou  wilt  one  day  testify  thy  gratitude  for  the 
part  I  am  now  acting.  It  is  my  interest,  as  well 
as  yours,  to  secure  you  in  the  safe  possession  of 
this  castle,  although  assuredly  I  know  some  things 
respecting  it,  and  respecting  your  worship,  which 
I  am  not  at  liberty  to  tell  without  the  consent  of 
that  youth.  Bring  me  but  a  note  under  his  hand, 
consenting  to  my  taking  you  into  our  mystery, 
and,  believe  me,  you  will  soon  see  those  clouds 
charmed  away ;  since  there  was  never  a  doleful 
uncertainty  which  more  speedily  changed  to  joy, 
or  a  thunder-cloud  of  adversity  which  more  in- 
stantly gave  way  to  sunshine,  than  would  then 
the  suspicions  which  appear  now  so  formidable. " 

He  spoke  with  so  much  earnestness  as  to  make 
some  impression  upon  Sir  John  de  Walton,  who 
was  once  more  wholly  at  a  loss  to  know  what  line 
his  duty  called  upon  him  to  pursue. 

"  I  would  most  gladly, "  said  the  governor,  "  fol- 
low out  my  purpose  by  the  gentlest  means  in  my 
power ;  and  I  shall  bring  no  further  distress  upon 
this  poor  lad,  than  thine  own  obstinacy  and  his 
shall  appear  to  deserve.  In  the  meantime,  think. 
Sir  Minstrel,  that  my  duty  has  limits,  and  if  I 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  127 

slack  it  for  a  day  it  will  become  thee  to  exert 
every  effort  in  thy  power  to  meet  my  condescen- 
sion. I  will  give  thee  leave  to  address  thy  son  by 
a  line  under  thy  hand,  and  I  will  await  his  answer 
before  I  proceed  further  in  this  matter,  which 
seems  to  be  very  mysterious.  Meantime,  if  thou 
hast  a  soul  to  be  saved,  I  conjure  thee  to  speak  the 
truth,  and  tell  me  whether  the  secrets  of  which 
thou  seemest  to  be  a  too  faithful  treasurer  have 
regard  to  the  practices  of  Douglas,  of  Bruce,  or 
of  any  in  their  names,  against  this  Castle  of 
Douglas  ?  " 

The  prisoner  thought  a  moment,  and  then  re- 
plied :  "I  am  aware,  Sir  Knight,  of  the  severe 
charge  under  which  this  command  is  intrusted  to 
your  hands,  and  were  it  in  my  power  to  assist 
you,  as  a  faithful  minstrel  and  loyal  subject, 
either  with  hand  or  tongue,  I  should  feel  myself 
called  upon  so  to  do ;  but  so  far  am  I  from  being 
the  character  your  suspicions  have  apprehended, 
that  I  should  have  held  it  for  certain  that  the 
Bruce  and  Douglas  had  assembled  their  followers, 
for  the  purpose  of  renouncing  their  rebellious  at-  . 
tempts,  and  taking  their  departure  for  the  Holy 
Land,  but  for  the  apparition  of  the  forester,  who, 
I  hear,  bearded  you  at  the  hunting,  which  im- 
presses upon  me  the  belief,  that  when  so  resolute 
a  follower  and  henchman  of  the  Douglas  was 
sitting  fearless  among  you,  his  master  and  com- 
rades could  be  at  no  great  distance  —  how  far  his 
intentions  could  be  friendly  to  you,  I  must  leave 
it  to  yourself  to  judge ;  only  believe  me  thus  far, 
that  the  rack,  pulley,  or  pincers  would  not  have 
compelled  me  to  act  the  informer,  or  adviser,  in  a 
quarrel  wherein  I  have  little  or  no  share,  if  I  had 


128  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

not  been  desirous  of  fixing  the  belief  upon  you, 
that  you  are  dealing  with  a  true  man,  and  one  who 
has  your  welfare  at  heart.  — Meanwhile,  permit 
me  to  have  writing-materials,  or  let  my  own  be 
restored,  for  I  possess,  in  some  degree,  the  higher 
arts  of  my  calling;  nor  do  I  fear  but  that  I  can 
procure  for  you  an  explanation  of  these  marvels, 
without  much  more  loss  of  time. " 

"  God  grant  it  prove  so, "  said  the  governor ; 
"  though  I  see  not  well  how  I  can  hope  for  so 
favourable  a  termination,  and  I  may  sustain  great 
harm  by  trusting  too  much  on  the  present  occasion. 
My  duty,  however,  requires  that,  in  the  meantime, 
you  be  removed  into  strict  confinement. " 

He  handed  to  the  prisoner  as  he  spoke  the  writ- 
ing-materials, which  had  been  seized  upon  by  the 
archers  on  their  first  entrance,  and  then  com- 
manded those  satellites  to  unhand  the  minstrel. 

"  I  must,  then,"  said  Bertram,  "  remain  subjected 
to  all  the  severities  of  a  strict  captivity  ?  But  I 
deprecate  no  hardship  whatever  in  my  own  person, 
so  I  may  secure  you  from  acting  with  a  degree  of 
rashness,  of  which  you  will  all  your  life  repent, 
without  the  means  of  atoning." 

"No  more  words,  minstrel,"  said  the  governor; 
"  but  since  I  have  made  my  choice,  perhaps  a  very 
dangerous  one  for  myself,  let  us  carry  this  spell 
into  execution,  which  thou  sayest  is  to  serve  me, 
as  mariners  say  that  oil  spread  upon  the  raging 
billows  will  assuage  their  fury." 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Beware !  beware !  of  the  Black  Friar, 

He  still  retains  his  sway, 
For  he  is  yet  the  Church's  heir  by  right, 

"Whoever  may  be  the  lay. 
Amundeville  is  lord  by  day, 

But  the  monk  is  lord  by  night, 
Nor  wine  nor  wassel  could  raise  a  vassal 

To  question  that  friar's  right. 

Don  Juan,  Canto  xvii. 

The  minstrel  made  no  vain  boast  of  the  skill 
which  he  possessed  in  the  use  of  pen  and  ink.  In 
fact,  no  priest  of  the  time  could  have  produced  his 
little  scroll  more  speedily,  more  neatly  composed,  or 
more  fairly  written,  than  were  the  lines  addressed 
"  To  the  youth  called  Augustine,  son  of  Bertram 
the  Minstrel." 

"  I  have  not  folded  this  letter,"  said  he,  "  nor  tied 
it  with  silk,  for  it  is  not  expressed  so  as  to  explain 
the  mystery  to  you ;  nor,  to  speak  frankly,  do  I 
think  that  it  can  convey  to  you  any  intelligence ; 
but  it  may  be  satisfactory  to  show  you  what  the 
letter  does  not  contain,  and  that  it  is  written  from 
and  to  a  person  who  both  mean  kindly  towards  you 
and  your  garrison." 

"  That,"  said  the  governor,  "  is  a  deception  which 
is  easily  practised :  it  tends,  however,  to  show, 
though  not  with  certainty,  that  you  are  disposed  to 
act  upon  good  faith  ;  and,  until  the  contrary  appear, 
I  shall  consider  it  a  point  of  duty  to  treat  you  with 
as  much  gentleness  as  the  matter  admits  of.    Mean- 


130  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

time,  I  will  myself  ride  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Bride, 
and  in  person  examine  the  young  prisoner  ;  and  as 
you  say  he  has  the  power,  so  I  pray  to  Heaven  he 
may  have  the  will,  to  read  this  riddle,  which  seems 
to  throw  us  all  into  confusion."  So  saying,  he 
ordered  his  horse,  and  while  it  w^as  getting  ready 
he  perused  with  great  composure  the  minstrel's 
letter.     Its  contents  ran  thus  :  — 

*^Deak  Augustine,  —  Sir  John  de  Walton,  the 
governor  of  this  castle,  has  conceived  those  suspicions 
which  I  pointed  out  as  likely  to  be  the  consequence  of 
our  coming  to  this  country  without  an  avowed  errand. 
I  at  least  am  seized,  and  threatened  with  examination 
under  torture,  to  force  me  to  tell  the  purpose  of  our 
journey;  but  they  shall  tear  my  flesh  from  my  bones 
ere  they  force  me  to  break  the  oath  which  I  have  taken. 
And  the  purport  of  this  letter  is  to  apprise  you  of  the 
danger  in  which  you  stand  of  being  placed  in  similar 
circumstances,  unless  you  are  disposed  to  authorise  me 
to  make  the  discovery  to  this  knight;  but  on  this  sub- 
ject you  have  only  to  express  your  own  wishes,  being 
assured  they  shall  be  in  every  respect  attended  to  by 
your  devoted 

<^  Bertram." 

This  letter  did  not  throw  the  smallest  light  upon 
the  mystery  of  the  writer.  The  governor  read  it 
more  than  once,  and  turned  it  repeatedly  in  his 
hand,  as  if  he  had  hoped  by  that  mechanical  pro- 
cess to  draw  something  from  the  missive  which  at 
a  first  view  the  words  did  not  express ;  but,  as  no 
result  of  this  sort  appeared,  De  Walton  retired  to 
the  hall,  where  he  informed  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence 
that  he  was  going  abroad  as  far  as  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Bride,  and  that  he  would  be  obliged  by  his 
taking  upon  him  the  duties  of  governor  during  his 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  131 

absence.  Sir  Aymer,  of  course,  intimated  his  ac- 
quiescence in  the  charge ;  and  the  state  of  disunion 
in  which  they  stood  to  each  other  permitted  no 
further  explanation. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Sir  John  de  Walton  at  the 
dilapidated  shrine,  the  abbot,  with  trembling  haste, 
made  it  his  business  immediately  to  attend  the 
commander-  of  the  English  garrison,  upon  whom, 
for  the  present,  their  house  depended  for  every  in- 
dulgence they  experienced,  as  well  as  for  the  sub- 
sistence and  protection  necessary  to  them  in  so 
perilous  a  period.  Having  interrogated  this  old  man 
respecting  the  youth  residing  in  the  abbey,  De 
Walton  was  informed  that  he  had  been  indisposed 
since  left  there  by  his  father,  Bertram,  a  minstrel. 
It  appeared  to  the  abbot  that  his  indisposition 
might  be  of  that  contagious  kind  which,  at  that 
period,  ravaged  the  English  Borders,  and  made 
some  incursions  into  Scotland,  where  it  afterwards 
worked  a  fearful  progress.  After  some  further  con- 
versation. Sir  John  de  Walton  put  into  the  abbot's 
hand  the  letter  to  the  young  person  under  his  roof, 
on  delivering  which  to  Augustine  the  reverend 
father  was  charged  with  a  message  to  the  English 
governor,  so  bold,  that  he  was  afraid  to  be  the 
bearer  of  it.  It  signified,  that  the  youth  could  not, 
and  would  not,  at  that  moment,  receive  the  English 
knight ;  but  that,  if  he  came  back  on  the  morrow 
after  mass,  it  was  probable  he  might  learn  some- 
thing of  what  was  requested. 

"  This  is  not  an  answer,"  said  Sir  John  de  Wal- 
ton, "to  be  sent  by  a  boy  like  this  to  a  person 
in  my  charge ;  and  methinks.  Father  Abbot,  you 
consult  your  own  safety  but  slenderly  in  delivering 
such  an  insolent  message." 


132  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

The  abbot  trembled  under  the  folds  of  his  large 
coarse  habit ;  and  De  Walton,  imagining  that  his 
discomposure  was  the  consequence  of  guilty  fear, 
called  upon  him  to  remember  the  duties  which  he 
owed  to  England,  the  benefits  which  he  had  received 
from  himself,  and  the  probable  consequence  of 
taking  part  in  a  pert  boy's  insolent  defiance  of  the 
power  of  the  governor  of  the  province. 

The  abbot  vindicated  himself  from  these  charges 
with  the  utmost  anxiety.  He  pledged  his  sacred 
word  that  the  inconsiderate  character  of  the  boy's 
message  was  owing  to  the  waywardness  arising 
from  indisposition.  He  reminded  the  governor  that, 
as  a  Christian  and  an  Englishman,  he  had  duties  to 
observe  towards  the  community  of  St.  Bride,  which 
had  never  given  the  English  government  the  least 
subject  of  complaint.  As  he  spoke,  the  churchman 
seemed  to  gather  courage  from  the  immunities  of 
his  order.  He  said  he  could  not  permit  a  sick  boy, 
who  had  taken  refuge  within  the  sanctuary  of  the 
church,  to  be  seized  or  subjected  to  any  species  of 
force,  unless  he  was  accused  of  a  specific  crime, 
capable  of  being  immediately  proved.  The  Doug- 
lases, a  headstrong  race,  had,  in  former  days, 
uniformly  respected  the  sanctuary  of  St.  Bride, 
and  it  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  King  of 
England,  the  dutiful  and  obedient  child  of  the 
Church  of  Kome,  would  act  with  less  veneration 
for  her  rights  than  the  followers  of  a  usurper, 
homicide,  and  excommunicated  person  like  Kobert 
Bruce. 

Walton  was  considerably  shaken  with  this  re- 
monstrance. He  knew  that,  in  the  circumstances 
of  the  times,  the  Pope  had  great  power  in  every  con- 
troversy in  which  it  was  his  pleasure  to  interfere. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  133 

He  knew  that,  even  in  the  dispute  respecting  the 
supremacy  of  Scotland,  his  Holiness  had  set  up  a 
claim  to  the  kingdom  which,  in  the  temper  of  the 
times,  might  perhaps  have  been  deemed  superior 
both  to  that  of  Robert  Bruce  and  that  of  Edward  of 
England,  and  he  conceived  his  monarch  would  give 
him  little  thanks  for  any  fresh  embroilment  which 
might  take  place  with  the  Church.  Moreover,  it 
was  easy  to  place  a  watch,  so  as  to  prevent  Augus- 
tine from  escaping  during  the  night;  and  on  the 
following  morning  he  would  be  still  as  effectually 
in  the  power  of  the  English  governor  as  if  he  were 
seized  on  by  open  force  at  the  present  moment. 
Sir  John  de  Walton,  however,  so  far  exerted  his 
authority  over  the  abbot  that  he  engaged,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  sanctuary  being  respected  for  this 
space  of  time,  that,  when  it  expired,  he  would  be 
aiding  and  assisting  with  his  spiritual  authority  to 
surrender  the  youth,  should  he  not  allege  a  suffi- 
cient reason  to  the  contrary.  This  arrangement, 
which  appeared  still  to  flatter  the  governor  with 
the  prospect  of  an  easy  termination  of  this  trouble- 
some dispute,  induced  him  to  grant  the  delay  which 
Augustine  rather  demanded  than  petitioned  for. 

"  At  your  request.  Father  Abbot,  whom  I  have 
hitherto  found  a  true  man,  I  will  indulge  this 
youth  with  the  grace  he  asks,  before  taking  him 
into  custody,  understanding  that  he  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  leave  this  place;  and  thou  art  to  be 
responsible  to  this  effect,  giving  thee,  as  is  rea- 
sonable, power  to  command  our  little  garrison  at 
Hazelside,  to  which  I  will  send  a  reinforcement 
on  my  return  to  the  castle,  in  case  it  should  be 
necessary  to  use  the  strong  hand,  or  circumstances 
impose  upon  me  other  measures." 


134  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"Worthy  Sir  Knight,"  replied  the  abbot,  "I 
have  no  idea  that  the  frowardness  of  this  youth 
will  render  any  course  necessary,  saving  that  of 
persuasion ;  and  I  venture  to  say,  that  you  your- 
self will  in  the  highest  degree  approve  of  the 
method  in  which  I  shall  acquit  myself  of  my 
present  trust." 

The  abbot  went  through  the  duties  of  hospitality, 
enumerating  what  simple  cheer  the  cloister  of  the 
convent  permitted  him  to  offer  to  the  English 
knight.  Sir  John  de  Walton  declined  the  offer  of 
refreshment,  however  —  took  a  courteous  leave  of 
the  churchman,  and  did  not  spare  his  horse  until 
the  noble  animal  had  brought  him  again  before  the 
Castle  of  Douglas.  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  met 
him  on  the  drawbridge,  and  reported  the  state  of 
the  garrison  to  be  the  same  in  which  he  had  left  it, 
excepting  that  intimation  had  been  received  that 
twelve  or  fifteen  men  were  expected  on  their  way 
to  the  town  of  Lanark,  and,  being  on  march  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Ayr,  would  that  night  take 
up  their  quarters  at  the  outpost  of  Hazelside. 

"I  am  glad  of  it,"  replied  the  governor.  "I 
was  about  to  strengthen  that  detachment.  This 
stripling,  the  son  of  Bertram  the  minstrel,  or  who- 
ever he  is,  has  engaged  to  deliver  himself  up  for 
examination  in  the  morning.  As  this  party  of 
soldiers  are  followers  of  your  uncle,  Lord  Pembroke, 
may  I  request  you  will  ride  to  meet  them,  and 
command  them  to  remain  at  Hazelside  until  you 
make  further  inquiries  about  this  youth,  who  has 
stni  to  clear  up  the  mystery  which  hangs  about 
him,  and  reply  to  a  letter  which  I  delivered  with 
my  own  hand  to  the  Abbot  of  St.  Bride.  I  have 
shown  too  much  forbearance  in  this  matter,  and  I 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  135 

trust  to  your  looking  to  the  security  of  this  young 
man,  and  convey  him  hither,  with  all  due  care  and 
attention,  as  being  a  prisoner  of  some  importance." 

"  Certainly,  Sir  John,"  answered  Sir  Aymer ; 
"  your  orders  shall  be  obeyed,  since  you  have  none 
of  greater  importance  for  one  who  hath  the  honour 
to  be  second  only  to  yourself  in  this  place." 

"  I  crave  your  mercy,  Sir  Aymer,"  returned  the 
governor,  "  if  the  commission  be  in  any  degree 
beneath  your  dignity ;  but  it  is  our  misfortune  to 
misunderstand  each  other,  when  we  endeavour  to 
be  most  intelligible." 

"  But  what  am  I  to  do,"  said  Sir  Aymer  —  "  no 
way  disputing  your  command,  but  only  asking  for 
information  —  what  am  I  to  do,  if  the  Abbot  of 
St.  Bride  offers  opposition  ?  " 

"  How !  "  answered  Sir  John  de  Walton.  "  With 
the  reinforcement  from  my  Lord  of  Pembroke,  you 
will  command  at  least  twenty  warmen,  with  bow 
and  spear,  against  five  or  six  timid  old  monks,  with 
only  gown  and  hood." 

"  True,"  said  Sir  Aymer,  "  but  ban  and  excom- 
munication are  sometimes,  in  the  present  day,  too 
hard  for  the  mail  coat,  and  I  would  not  willingly 
be  thrown  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Christian  Church." 

"  Well,  then,  thou  very  suspicious  and  scrupu- 
lous young  man,"  replied  De  Walton,  "  know  that 
if  this  youth  does  not  deliver  himself  up  to  thee  of 
his  own  accord,  the  abbot  has  promised  to  put  him 
into  thy  hands." 

There  was  no  further  answer  to  be  made,  and  De 
Valence,  though  still  thinking  himself  unnecessarily 
harassed  with  the  chai:ge  of  a  petty  commission, 
took  the  sort  of  half-arms  which  were  always  used 
when  the  knights  stirred  beyond  the  walls  of  the 


136  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

garrison,  and  proceeded  to  execute  the  commands 
of  De  Walton.  A  horseman  or  two,  together  with 
his  squire  Fabian,  accompanied  him. 

The  evening  closed  in  with  one  of  those  Scottish 
mists  which  are  commonly  said  to  be  equal  to  the 
showers  of  happier  climates ;  the  path  became  more 
and  more  dark,  the  hills  more  wreathed  in  vapours, 
and  more  difficult  to  traverse  ;  and  all  the  little  petty 
inconveniences  which  rendered  travelling  through 
the  district  slow  and  uncertain  were  augmented  by 
the  density  of  the  fog  which  overhung  everything. 

Sir  Aymer,  therefore,  occasionally  mended  his 
pace,  and  often  incurred  the  fate  of  one  who  is 
over-late,  delaying  himself  by  his  efforts  to  make 
greater  expedition.  The  knight  bethought  himself 
that  he  would  get  into  a  straight  road  by  passing 
through  the  almost  deserted  town  of  Douglas  — 
the  inhabitants  of  which  had  been  treated  so 
severely  by  the  English,  in  the  course  of  those 
fierce  troubles,  that  most  of  them  who  were  capable 
of  bearing  arms  had  left  it,  and  withdrawn  them- 
selves to  different  parts  of  the  country.  This  almost 
deserted  place  was  defended  by  a  rude  palisade,  and 
a  ruder  drawbridge,  which  gave  entrance  into  streets 
so  narrow  as  to  admit  with  difficulty  three  horses 
abreast,  and  evincing  with  what  strictness  the 
ancient  lords  of  the  village  adhered  to  their  pre- 
judice against  fortifications,  and  their  opinion  in 
favour  of  keeping  the  field,  so  quaintly  expressed 
in  the  well-known  proverb  of  the  family  — "  It  is 
better  to  hear  the  lark  sing  than  the  mouse  cheep." 
The  streets,  or  rather  the  lanes,  were  dark,  but  for 
a  shifting  gleam  of  moonlight,  which,  as  that  planet 
began  to  rise,  was  now  and  then  visible  upon  some 
steep  and  narrow  gable.     No   sound   of   domestic 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  137 

industry  or  domestic  festivity  was  heard,  and  no 
ray  of  candle  or  firelight  glanced  from  the  windows 
of  the  houses ;  the  ancient  ordinance  called  the 
curfew,  which  the  Conqueror  had  introduced  into 
England,  was  at  this  time  in  full  force  in  such  parts 
of  Scotland  as  were  thought  doubtful,  and  likely 
to  rebel ;  under  which  description  it  need  not  be 
said  the  ancient  possessions  of  the  Douglas  were 
most  especially  regarded.  The  church,  whose 
Gothic  monuments  were  of  a  magnificent  character, 
had  been,  as  far  as  possible,  destroyed  by  fire  ; 
but  the  ruins,  held  together  by  the  weight  of  the 
massive  stones  of  which  they  were  composed,  still 
sufficiently  evinced  the  greatness  of  the  family  at 
whose  cost  it  had  been  raised,  and  whose  bones, 
from  immemorial  time,  had  been  entombed  in  its 
crypts. 

Paying  little  attention  to  these  relics  of  departed 
splendour.  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  advanced  with 
his  small  detachment,  and  had  passed  the  scat- 
tered fragments  of  the  cemetery  of  the  Douglases, 
when,  to  his  surprise,  the  noise  of  his  horse's  feet 
was  seemingly  replied  to  by  sounds  which  rung  like 
those  of  another  knightly  steed  advancing  heavily 
up  the  street,  as  if  it  were  to  meet  him.  Valence 
was  unable  to  conjecture  what  might  be  the  cause 
of  these  warlike  sounds;  the  ring  and  the  clang 
of  armour  was  distinct,  and  the  heavy  tramp  of  a 
war-horse  was  not  to  be  mistaken  by  the  ear  of  a 
warrior.  The  difficulty  of  keeping  soldiers  from 
straying  out  of  quarters  by  night  would  have  suffi- 
ciently accounted  for  the  appearance  of  a  strag- 
gling foot-soldier;  but  it  was  more  difficult  to 
account  for  a  mounted  horseman,  in  full  armour ; 
and  such  was  the  apparition  which   a   peculiarly 


138  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

bright  glimpse  of  moonlight  now  showed  at  the 
bottom  of  the  causewayed  hill.  Perhaps  the  un- 
known warrior  obtained  at  the  same  time  a  glance 
of  Aymer  de  Valence  and  his  armed  followers  — 
at  least  each  of  them  shouted  "  Who  goes  there  ? " 
—  the  alarm  of  the  times ;  and  on  the  instant  the 
deep  answers  of  "  St.  George ! "  on  the  one  side,  and 
"  The  Douglas ! "  on  the  other,  awakened  the  still 
echoes  of  the  small  and  ruinous  street,  and  the  si- 
lent arches  of  the  dilapidated  church.  Astonished 
at  a  war-cry  with  which  so  many  recollections 
were  connected,  the  English  knight  spurred  his 
horse  at  full  gallop  down  the  steep  and  broken 
descent  leading  out  at  the  south  or  south-east  gate 
of  the  town ;  and  it  was  the  work  of  an  instant  to 
call  out,  "  Ho !  St.  George  !  upon  the  insolent  villain 
all  of  you !  —  To  the  gate,  Fabian,  and  cut  him  off 
from  flight !  St.  George !  I  say,  for  England !  Bows 
and  bills  !  —  bows  and  bills  ! "  At  the  same  time 
Aymer  de  Valence  laid  in  rest  his  own  long  lance, 
which  he  snatched  from  the  squire  by  whom  it 
was  carried.  But  the  light  was  seen  and  gone  in 
an  instant,  and,  though  De  Valence  concluded  that 
the  hostile  warrior  had  hardly  room  to  avoid  his 
career,  yet  he  could  take  no  aim  for  the  encounter, 
unless  by  mere  guess,  and  continued  to  plunge 
down  the  dark  declivity,  among  shattered  stones 
and  other  incumbrances,  without  groping  out  with 
his  lance  the  object  of  his  pursuit.  He  rode,  in 
short,  at  a  broken  gallop,  a  descent  of  about  fifty 
or  sixty  yards,  without  having  any  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  he  had  met  the  figure  which  had  ap- 
peared to  him,  although  the  narrowness  of  the 
street  scarcely  admitted  his  having  passed  him, 
unless  both  horse  and  horseman  could  have  melted 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  139 

at  the  moment  of  encounter  like  an  air-bubble. 
The  riders  of  his  suite,  meanwhile,  were  struck 
with  a  feeling  like  supernatural  terror  which  a 
number  of  singular  adventures  had  caused  most  of 
them  to  attach  to  the  name  of  Douglas ;  and  when 
he  reached  the  gate  by  which  the  broken  street 
was  terminated,  there  was  none  close  behind  him 
but  Fabian,  in  whose  head  no  suggestions  of  a 
timorous  nature  could  outlive  the  sound  of  his 
dear  master's  voice. 

Here  there  was  a  post  of  English  archers,  who 
were  turning  out  in  considerable  alarm,  when  De 
Valence  and  his  page  rode  in  amongst  them.  "  Vil- 
lains ! "  shouted  De  Valence,  "  why  were  ye  not 
upon  your  duty  ?  Who  was  it  passed  through  your 
post  even  now,  with  the  traitorous  cry  of  Douglas  ? " 

"  We  know  of  no  such, "  said  the  captain  of  the 
watch. 

"  That  is  to  say,  you  besotted  villains, "  answered 
the  young  knight,  "you  have  been  drinking,  and 
have  slept  ? " 

The  men  protested  the  contrary,  but  in  a  confused 
manner,  which  was  far  from  overcoming  De  Va- 
lence's suspicions.  He  called  loudly  to  bring  cressets, 
torches,  and  candles ;  and  a  few  remaining  inhabi- 
tants began  to  make  their  unwilling  appearance, 
with  such  various  means  of  giving  light  as  they 
chanced  to  possess.  They  heard  the  story  of  the 
young  English  knight  with  wonder ;  nor,  although 
it  was  confirmed  by  all  his  retinue,  did  they  give 
credit  to  the  recital,  more  than  that  the  Englishmen 
wished  somehow  or  other  to  pick  a  quarrel  with 
the  people  of  the  place,  under  the  pretence  of  their 
having  admitted  a  retainer  of  their  ancient  lord 
by  night  into  the  town.     They  protested,  therefore, 


I40  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

their  innocence  of  the  cause  of  tumult,  and  en- 
deavoured to  seem  active  in  hastening  from  house 
to  house,  and  corner  to  corner,  with  their  torches, 
in  order  to  discover  the  invisible  cavalier.  The 
English  suspected  them  no  less  of  treachery  than 
the  Scottish  imagined  the  whole  matter  a  pretext 
for  bringing  an  accusation,  on  the  part  of  the 
young  knight,  against  the  citizens.  The  women, 
however,  who  now  began  to  issue  from  the  houses, 
had  a  key  for  the  solution  of  the  apparition,  which 
at  that  time  was  believed  of  efficacy  sufficient  to 
solve  any  mystery.  "  The  devil, "  they  said,  "  must 
have  appeared  visibly  amongst  them, "  an  explana- 
tion which  had  already  occurred  to  the  followers 
of  the  young  knight;  for  that  a  living  man  and 
horse,  both,  as  it  seemed,  of  a  gigantic  size,  could 
be  conjured  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  appear 
in  a  street  secured  at  one  end  by  the  best  of  the 
archers,  and  at  the  other  by  the  horsemen  under 
Valence  himself,  was  altogether,  it  seemed,  a  thing 
impossible.  The  inhabitants  did  not  venture  to 
put  their  thoughts  on  the  subject  into  language, 
for  fear  of  giving  offence,  and  only  indicated  by  a 
passing  word  to  each  other  the  secret  degree  of 
pleasure  which  they  felt  in  the  confusion  and  em- 
barrassment of  the  English  garrison.  Still,  however, 
they  continued  to  affect  a  great  deal  of  interest  in 
the  alarm  which  De  Valence  had  received,  and  the 
anxiety  which  he  expressed  to  discover  the  cause. 

At  length  a  female  voice  spoke  above  the  Babel 
of  confused  sounds,  saying,  "  Where  is  the  Southern 
Knight  ?  I  am  sure  that  I  can  tell  him  where  he 
can  find  the  only  person  who  can  help  him  out  of 
his  present  difficulty." 

"  And  who  is  that,  good  woman  ? "  said  Aymer  de 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  141 

Valence,  who  was  growing  every  moment  more  impa- 
tient at  the  loss  of  time,  which  was  flying  fast,  in  an 
investigation  which  had  something  in  it  vexatious, 
and  even  ridiculous.  At  the  same  time,  the  sight  of 
an  armed  partisan  of  the  Douglases,  in  their  own 
native  town,  seemed  to  bode  too  serious  consequences, 
if  it  should  be  suffered  to  pass  without  being  probed 
to  the  bottom. 

"  Come  hither  to  me,"  said  the  female  voice, "  and 
I  will  name  to  you  the  only  person  who  can  explain 
all  matters  of  this  kind  that  chance  in  this  country." 
On  this  the  knight  snatched  a  torch  from  some  of 
those  who  were  present,  and  holding  it  up,  descried 
the  person  who  spoke,  a  tall  woman,  who  evidently 
endeavoured  to  render  herself  remarkable.  When 
he  approached  her,  she  communicated  her  intelli- 
gence in  a  grave  and  sententious  tone  of  voice. 

"  We  had  once  wise  men,  that  could  have  answered 
any  parables  which  might  have  been  put  to  them 
for  explanation  in  this  country  side.  Whether  you 
yourselves,  gentlemen,  have  not  had  some  hand  in 
weeding  them  out,  good  troth,  it  is  not  for  the  like 
of  me  to  say ;  at  any  rate,  good  counsel  is  not  so 
easy  come  by  as  it  was  in  this  Douglas  country,  nor, 
may  be,  is  it  a  safe  thing  to  pretend  to  the  power  of 
giving  it." 

"Good  woman,"  said  De  Valence,  "if  you  will 
give  me  an  explanation  of  this  mystery,  I  will  owe 
you  a  kirtle  of  the  best  raploch  grey." 

"  It  is  not  I,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  that  pretend 
to  possess  the  knowledge  which  may  assist  you; 
but  I  would  fain  know  that  the  man  whom  I  shall 
name  to  you  shall  be  skaithless  and  harmless. 
Upon  your  knighthood  and  your  honour,  will  you 
promise  to  me  so  much  ? " 


142  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"Assuredly,"  said  De  Valence,  "such  a  person 
shall  even  have  thanks  and  reward,  if  he  is  a  faith- 
ful informer;  ay,  and  pardon,  moreover,  although 
he  may  have  listened  to  any  dangerous  practices, 
or  been  concerned  in  any  plots." 

"  Oh  !  not  he,"  replied  the  female :  "  it  is  old 
Goodman  Powheid,  who  has  the  charge  of  the  muni- 
ments "  (meaning  probably  monuments)  —  "  that  is, 
such  part  of  them  as  you  English  have  left  standing ; 
I  mean  the  old  sexton  of  the  kirk  of  Douglas,  who 
can  tell  more  stories  of  these  old  folk,  whom  your 
honour  is  not  very  fond  of  hearing  named,  than 
would  last  us  from  this  day  to  Yule." 

"  Does  anybody,"  said  the  knight,  "  know  whom 
it  is  that  this  old  woman  means  ? " 

"  I  conjecture,"  replied  Fabian,  "  that  she  speaks 
of  an  old  dotard,  who  is,  I  think,  the  general  referee 
concerning  the  history  and  antiquities  of  this  old 
town,  and  of  the  savage  family  that  lived  here, 
perhaps  before  the  flood." 

"  And  who,  I  dare  say,"  said  the  knight,  "  knows 
as  much  about  the  matter  as  she  herself  does.  But 
where  is  this  man  ?  —  a  sexton,  is  he  ?  He  may  be 
acquainted  with  places  of  concealment,  which  are 
often  fabricated  in  Gothic  buildings,  and  known  to 
those  whose  business  calls  them  to  frequent  them. 
Come,  my  good  old  dame,  bring  this  man  to  me ;  or, 
what  may  be  better,  I  will  go  to  him,  for  we  have 
already  spent  too  much  time." 

"  Time  ! "  replied  the  old  woman.  "  Is  time  an 
object  with  your  honour?  I  am  sure  I  can  hardly 
get  so  much  for  mine  as  will  hold  soul  and  body 
together.  You  are  not  far  from  the  old  man's 
house." 

She  led   the  way  accordingly,  blundering   over 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  143 

heaps  of  rubbish,  and  encountering  all  the  embar- 
rassments of  a  ruinous  street,  in  lighting  the  way 
to  Sir  Aymer,  who,  giving  his  horse  to  one  of  his 
attendants,  and  desiring  Fabian  to  be  ready  at  a 
call,  scrambled  after  as  well  as  the  slowness  of  his 
guide  would  permit. 

Both  were  soon  involved  in  the  remains  of  the 
old  church,  much  dilapidated  as  it  had  been  by 
wanton  damage  done  to  it  by  the  soldiery,  and  so 
much  impeded  by  rubbish  that  the  knight  marvelled 
how  the  old  woman  could  find  the  way.  She  kept 
talking  all  the  while  as  she  stumbled  onward. 
Sometimes  she  called  out  in  a  screeching  tone, 
"  Powheid !  Lazarus  Powheid  !  "  and  then  muttered, 
"Ay,  ay,  the  old  man  will  be  busy  with  some  of 
his  duties,  as  he  calls  them;  I  wonder  he  fashes 
wi'  them  in  these  times.  But  never  mind,  I  warrant 
they  will  last  for  his  day,  and  for  mine ;  and  the 
times,  Lord  help  us !  for  all  that  I  can  see,  are  well 
enousjli  for  those  that  are  to  live  in  them." 

"  Are  you  sure,  good  woman,"  replied  the  knight, 
"  that  there  is  any  inhabitant  in  these  ruins  ?  For 
my  part,  I  should  rather  suppose  that  you  are 
taking  me  to  the  charnel-house  of  the  dead." 

"  Maybe  you  are  right,"  said  the  old  woman,  with 
a  ghastly  laugh ;  "  carles  and  carlines  agree  weel 
with  funeral  vaults  and  charnel-houses,  and  w^hen 
an  auld  bedral  dwells  near  the  dead,  he  is  living, 
ye  ken,  among  his  customers  —  Halloo  !  Powheid ! 
Lazarus  Powheid !  there  is  a  gentleman  would  speak 
with  you ; "  and  she  added,  with  some  sort  of  em- 
phasis, "  an  English  noble  gentleman  —  one  of  the 
honourable  garrison." 

An  old  man's  step  was  now  heard  advancing,  so 
slowly  that  the  glimmering  light  which  he  held  in 


144  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

his  hand  was  visible  on  the  ruined  walls  of  the 
vault  some  time  before  it  showed  the  person  who 
bore  it. 

The  shadow  of  the  old  man  was  also  projected 
upon  the  illuminated  wall  ere  his  person  came  in 
view ;  his  dress  was  in  considerable  confusion,  owing 
to  his  having  been  roused  from  his  bed ;  and  since 
artificial  light  was  forbidden  by  the  regulations  of 
the  garrison,  the  natives  of  Douglas  Dale  spent  in 
sleep  the  time  that  they  could  not  very  well  get  rid 
of  by  any  other  means.  The  sexton  was  a  tall  thin 
man,  emaciated  by  years  and  by  privations;  his 
body  was  bent  habitually  by  his  occupation  of 
grave-digging,  and  his  eye  naturally  inclined  down- 
wards to  the  scene  of  his  labours.  His  hand 
sustained  the  cruise  or  little  lamp,  which  he  held 
so  as  to  throw  light  upon  his  visitant ;  at  the  same 
time  it  displayed  to  the  young  knight  the  features  of 
the  person  with  whom  he  was  now  confronted,  which, 
though  neither  handsome  nor  pleasing,  were  strongly 
marked,  sagacious,  and  venerable,  indicating,  at  the 
same  time,  a  certain  air  of  dignity,  which  age,  even 
mere  poverty,  may  be  found  occasionally  to  bestow, 
as  conferring  that  last  melancholy  species  of  inde- 
pendence proper  to  those  whose  situation  can  hardly, 
by  any  imaginable  means,  be  rendered  much  worse 
than  years  and  fortune  have  already  made  it.  The 
habit  of  a  lay  brother  added  somewhat  of  religious 
importance  to  his  appearance. 

"  What  would  you  with  me,  young  man  ? "  said 
the  sexton.  "Your  youthful  features,  and  your 
gay  dress,  bespeak  one  who  stands  in  need  of  my 
ministry  neither  for  himself  nor  for  others." 

"  I  am,  indeed,"  replied  the  knight,  "  a  living 
man,  and  therefore  need  not  either  shovel  or  pick- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  145 

axe  for  my  own  behoof.  I  am  not,  as  you  see, 
attired  in  mourning,  and  therefore  need  not  your 
offices  in  behalf  of  any  friend;  I  would  only  ask 
you  a  few  questions." 

"What  you  would  have  done  must  needs  be 
done,  you  being  at  present  one  of  our  rulers,  and, 
as  I  think,  a  man  of  authority,"  replied  the  sexton. 
"  Follow  me  this  way  into  my  poor  habitation  !  I 
have  had  a  better  in  my  day ;  and  yet,  Heaven 
knows,  it  is  good  enough  for  me,  when  many  men 
of  much  greater  consequence  must  perforce  content 
themselves  with  worse." 

He  opened  a  lowly  door,  which  was  fitted,  though 
irregularly,  to  serve  as  the  entrance  of  a  vaulted 
apartment,  where  it  appeared  that  the  old  man 
held,  apart  from  the  living  world,  his  wretched  and 
solitary  dwelling.^  The  floor,  composed  of  paving- 
stones,  laid  together  with  some  accuracy,  and  here 
and  there  inscribed  with  letters  and  hieroglyphics, 
as  if  they  had  once  upon  a  time  served  to  distin- 
guish sepulchres,  was  indifferently  well  swept,  and 
a  fire  at  the  upper  end  directed  its  smoke  into  a 
hole  which  served  for  a  chimney.  The  spade  and 
pick-axe  (with  other  tools),  which  the  chamberlain 
of  mortality  makes  use  of,  lay  scattered  about  the 
apartment,  and,  with  a  rude  stool  or  two,  and  a 
table,  where  some  inexperienced  hand  had  unques- 
tionably supplied  the  labours  of  the  joiner,  were 
nearly  the  only  furniture,  if  we  include  the  old 
man's  bed  of  straw,  lying  in  a  corner,  and  discom- 
posed, as  if  he  had  been  just  raised  from  it.    At  the 

1  [This  is  a  most  graphic  and  accurate  description  of  the  present 
state  of  the  ruin.  Its  being  occupied  by  the  sexton  as  a  dwelling- 
place,  and  the  whole  scene  of  the  old  man's  interview  with  De 
Valence,  may  be  classed  with  our  illustrious  author's  most  felici- 
tous imaginings.  —  Note  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stewart  of  Douglas.} 

10 


I 


146  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

lower  end  of  the  apartment  the  wall  was  almost 
entirely  covered  by  a  large  escutcheon,  such  as  is 
usually  hung  over  the  graves  of  men  of  very  high 
rank,  having  the  appropriate  quarters,  to  the  num- 
ber of  sixteen,  each  properly  blazoned  and  distinct, 
placed  as  ornaments  around  the  principal  armorial 
coat  itself. 

"  Let  us  sit,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  the  posture 
will  better  enable  my  failing  ears  to  apprehend 
your  meaning,  and  the  asthma  will  deal  with  me 
more  mercifully  in  permitting  me  to  make  you 
understand  mine." 

A  peal  of  short  asthmatic  coughs  attested  the 
violence  of  the  disorder  which  he  had  last  named, 
and  the  young  knight  followed  his  host's  example, 
in  sitting  down  on  one  of  the  rickety  stools  by  the 
side  of  the  fire.  The  old  man  brought  from  one 
corner  of  the  apartment  an  apron,  which  he  occa- 
sionally wore,  full  of  broken  boards  in  irregular 
pieces,  some  of  which  w^ere  covered  with  black 
cloth,  or  driven  full  of  nails,  black,  as  it  might 
happen,  or  gilded. 

"You  will  find  this  fresh  fuel  necessary,"  said 
the  old  man,  "  to  keep  some  degree  of  heat  within 
this  waste  apartment ;  nor  are  the  vapours  of  mor- 
tality, with  which  this  vault  is  apt  to  be  filled,  if 
the  fire  is  permitted  to  become  extinct,  indifferent 
to  the  lungs  of  the  dainty  and  the  healthy,  like 
your  worship,  though  to  me  they  are  become  habi- 
tual The  wood  will  catch  fire,  although  it  is  some 
time  ere  the  damps  of  the  grave  are  overcome  by 
the  drier  air  and  the  warmth  of  the  chimney." 

Accordingly,  the  relics  of  mortality  with  which 
the  old  man  had  heaped  his  fireplace  began  by  de- 
grees to  send  forth  a  thick  unctuous  vapour,  which 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  147 

at  length  leaped  to  light,  and,  blazing  up  the  aper- 
ture, gave  a  degree  of  liveliness  to  the  gloomy 
scene.  The  blazonry  of  the  huge  escutcheon  met 
and  returned  the  rays  with  as  brilliant  a  reflection 
as  that  lugubrious  object  was  capable  of,  and  the 
whole  apartment  looked  with  a  fantastic  gaiety, 
strangely  mingled  with  the  gloomy  ideas  which  its 
ornaments  were  calculated  to  impress  upon  the 
imagination. 

"  You  are  astonished,"  said  the  old  man,  "  and 
perhaps.  Sir  Knight,  you  have  never  before  seen 
these  relics  of  the  dead  applied  to  the  purpose  of 
rendering  the  living,  in  some  degree,  more  com- 
fortable than  their  condition  would  otherwise  ad- 
mit of." 

"  Comfortable  I  "  returned  the  Knight  of  Valence, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  I  should  be  sorry,  old 
man,  to  know  that  I  had  a  dog  that  was  as  indiffe- 
rently quartered  as  thou  art,  whose  grey  hairs  have 
certainly  seen  better  days." 

"  It  may  be,"  answered  the  sexton,  "  and  it  may 
be  otherwise ;  but  it  was  not,  I  presume,  concerning 
my  own  history  that  your  worship  seemed  dis- 
posed to  ask  me  some  questions;  and  I  would 
venture  to  inquire,  therefore,  to  whom  they  have 
relation  ? " 

"  I  will  speak  plainly  to  you,"  replied  Sir  Aymer, 
"and  you  will  at  once  acknowledge  the  necessity 
of  giving  a  short  and  distinct  reply.  I  have  even 
now  met  in  the  streets  of  this  village  a  person  only 
shown  to  me  by  a  single  flash  of  light,  who  had 
the  audacity  to  display  the  armorial  insignia  and 
utter  the  war-cry  of  the  Douglases ;  nay,  if  I  could 
trust  a  transient  glance,  this  daring  cavalier  had 
the   features   and  the  dark  complexion   proper  to 


148  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  Douglas.  1  am  referred  to  thee  as  to  one  who 
possesses  means  of  explaining  this  extraordinary 
circumstance,  which,  as  an  English  knight,  and 
one  holding  a  charge  under  King  Edward,  I  am 
particularly  called  upon  to  make  inquiry  into." 

"  Let  me  make  a  distinction,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  The  Douglases  of  former  generations  are  my  near 
neighbours,  and,  according  to  my  superstitious 
townsmen,  my  acquaintances  and  visitors;  I  can 
take  it  upon  my  conscience  to  be  answerable  for 
their  good  behaviour,  and  to  become  bound  that 
none  of  the  old  barons,  to  whom  the  roots  of  that 
mighty  tree  may,  it  is  said,  be  traced,  will  again 
disturb  with  their  war-cry  the  towns  or  villages 
of  their  native  country  —  not  one  will  parade  in 
moonshine  the  black  armour  which  has  long  rusted 
upon  their  tombs. 

The  knights  are  dust, 

And  their  good  swords  are  rust; 

Their  souls  are  with  the  saints,  we  trust.  * 

Look  around,  Sir  Knight,  you  have  above  and 
around  you  the  men  of  whom  we  speak.  Beneath 
us,  in  a  little  aisle  (which  hath  not  been  opened 
since  these  thin  grey  locks  were  thick  and  brown), 
there  lies  the  first  man  whom  I  can  name  as  memo- 
rable among  those  of  this  mighty  line.  It  is  he 
whom  the  Thane  of  Athol  pointed  out  to  the  King 
of  Scotland  as  Sholto  Dhuglass,  or  the  dark  iron- 
coloured  man,  whose  exertions  had  gained  the 
battle  for  his  native  prince ;  and  who,  according 
to  this  legend,  bequeathed  his  name  to  our  dale 
and  town,  though  others  say  that  the  race  assumed 
the  name  of  Douglas  from  the  stream  so   called 

*  Note  IL  —  Coleridge. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  149 

in  unrecorded  times,  before  they  had  their  fast- 
ness on  its  banks.  Others,  his  descendants,  called 
Eachain,  or  Hector  the  first,  and  Orodh,  or  Hugh, 
William,  the  first  of  that  name,  and  Gilmour,  the 
theme  of  many  a  minstrel  song,  commemorating 
achievements  done  under  the  oriflamme  of  Charles 
the  Great,  Emperor  of  France,  have  all  consigned 
themselves  to  their  last  sleep,  nor  has  their  memory 
been  sufficiently  preserved  from  the  waste  of  time. 
Something  we  know  concerning  their  great  deeds, 
their  great  power,  and,  alas  !  their  great  crimes. 
Something  we  also  know  of  a  Lord  of  Douglas  who 
sat  in  a  parliament  at  Forfar,  held  by  King  Malcolm 
the  First,  and  we  are  aware  that,  from  his  attachment 
to  hunting  the  wild  hart,  he  built  himself  a  tower 
called  Blackhouse,  (e)  in  the  forest  of  Ettrick, 
which  perhaps  still  exists." 

"  I  crave  your  forgiveness,  old  man,"  said  the 
knight,  "  but  I  have  no  time  at  present  to  bestow 
upon  the  recitation  of  the  pedigree  of  the  House 
of  Douglas.  A  less  matter  would  hold  a  well- 
breathed  minstrel  in  subject  for  recitation  for  a 
calendar  month,  Sundays  and  holidays  included." 

"What  other  information  can  you  expect  from 
me,"  said  the  sexton,  "than  that  respecting  those 
heroes,  some  of  whom  it  has  been  my  lot  to  consign 
to  that  eternal  rest,  which  will  for  ever  divide 
the  dead  from  the  duties  of  this  world?  I  have 
told  you  where  the  race  sleep,  down  to  the  reign 
of  the  royal  Malcolm.  I  can  tell  you  also  of 
another  vault,  in  which  lie  Sir  John  of  Douglas- 
burn,  with  his  son  Lord  Archibald,  and  a  third 
William,  known  by  an  indenture  with  Lord  Aber- 
nethy.  Lastly,  I  can  tell  you  of  him  to  whom 
that  escutcheon,  with  its  appurtenances  of  splen- 


150  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

dour  and  dignity,  justly  belong.  Do  you  envy 
that  nobleman,  whom,  if  death  were  in  the  sound, 
I  would  not  hesitate  to  term  my  honourable  patron  ? 
and  have  you  any  design  of  dishonouring  his 
remains  ?  It  will  be  a  poor  victory !  Nor  does  it 
become  a  knight  and  nobleman  to  come  in  person 
to  enjoy  such  a  triumph  over  the  dead,  against 
whom,  when  he  lived,  there  were  few  knights 
dared  spur  their  horses.  He  fought  in  defence 
of  his  country,  but  he  had  not  the  good  fortune  of 
most  of  his  ancestors,  to  die  on  the  field  of  battle. 
Captivity,  sickness,  and  regret  for  the  misfortunes 
of  his  native  land,  brought  his  head  to  the  grave 
in  his  prison-house,  in  the  land  of  the  stranger." 

The  old  man's  voice  here  became  interrupted  by 
emotion,  and  the  English  knight  found  it  difficult 
to  continue  his  examination  in  the  stern  fashion 
which  his  duty  required. 

"  Old  man/'  he  said,  "  I  do  not  require  from  thee 
this  detail,  which  must  be  useless  to  me,  as  well  as 
painful  to  thyself.  Thou  dost  but  thy  duty  in  ren- 
dering justice  to  thy  ancient  lord;  but  thou  hast 
not  yet  explained  to  me  why  I  have  met  in  this 
town,  this  very  night,  and  not  half  an  hour  since, 
a  person  in  the  arms,  and  bearing  the  complexion,  of 
one  of  the  Black  Douglases,  who  cried  his  war-cry 
as  if  in  contempt  of  his  conquerors." 

"  Surely,"  replied  the  sexton,  "  it  is  not  my  busi- 
ness to  explain  such  a  fancy,  otherwise  than  by 
supposing  that  the  natural  fears  of  the  Southron  will 
raise  the  spectre  of  a  Douglas  at  any  time,  when  he 
is  within  sight  of  their  sepulchre.  Methinks,  in 
such  a  night  as  this,  the  fairest  cavalier  would  wear 
the  complexion  of  this  swarthy  race;  nor  can  I 
hold  it  wonderful  that  the  war-cry  which  was  once 


i 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  151 

in  the  throats  of  so  many  thousands  in  this  country, 
should  issue  upon  occasion  from  the  mouth  of  a 
single  champion." 

"  You  are  bold,  old  man,"  returned  the  English 
knight.  "  Do  you  consider  that  your  life  is  in  my 
power,  and  that  it  may,  in  certain  cases,  be  my 
duty  to  inflict  death  with  that  degree  of  pain  at 
which  humanity  shudders  ? " 

The  old  man  rose  up  slowly  in  the  light  of  the 
blazing  fire,  displaying  his  emaciated  features,  which 
resembled  those  ascribed  by  artists  to  St.  Anthony 
of  the  desert,  and,  pointing  to  the  feeble  lamp,  which 
he  placed  upon  the  coarse  table,  thus  addressed  his 
interrogator,  with  an  appearance  of  perfect  firm- 
ness, and  something  even  resembling  dignity  :  — 

"  Young  knight  of  England,  you  see  that  utensil 
constructed  for  the  purpose  of  dispensing  light 
amidst  these  fatal  vaults,  —  it  is  as  frail  as  any- 
thing can  well  be,  whose  flame  is  supplied  by  living 
element,  contained  in  a  frame  composed  of  iron. 
It  is  doubtless  in  your  power  entirely  to  end  its 
service,  by  destroying  the  frame,  or  extinguishing 
the  light.  Threaten  it  with  such  annihilation.  Sir 
Knight,  and  see  whether  your  menace  will  impress 
any  sense  of  fear  either  on  the  element  or  the  iron. 
Know  that  you  have  no  more  power  over  the  frail 
mortal  whom  you  threaten  with  similar  annihila- 
tion. You  may  tear  from  my  body  the  skin  in 
which  it  is  now  swathed,  but  although  my  nerves 
might  glow  with  agony  during  the  inhuman  opera- 
tion, it  would  produce  no  more  impression  on  me 
than  flaying  on  the  stag  which  an  arrow  has 
previously  pierced  through  the  heart.  My  age  sets 
me  beyond  your  cruelty :  if  you  think  otherwise, 
call  your  agents,  and  commence  your  operations ; 


152  CASTLE  DANGEROU& 

neither  threats  nor  inflictions  will  enable  you  to 
extort  from  me  anything  that  I  am  not  ready  to 
tell  you  of  my  own  accord." 

"  You  trifle  with  me,  old  man,"  said  De  Valence  ; 
"  you  talk  as  if  you  possessed  some  secret  respecting 
the  motions  of  these  Douglases,  who  are  to  you  as 
gods,  yet  you  communicate  no  intelligence  to  me 
whatever." 

"You  may  soon  know,"  replied  the  old  man.  "all 
that  a  poor  sexton  has  to  communicate ;  and  it  will 
not  increase  your  knowledge  respecting  the  living, 
though  it  may  throw  some  light  upon  my  proper 
domains,  which  are  those  of  the  dead.  The  spirits 
of  the  deceased  Douglases  do  not  rest  in  their 
graves  during  the  dishonour  of  their  monuments, 
and  the  downfall  of  their  house.  That,  upon  death, 
the  greater  part  of  any  line  are  consigned  to  the 
regions  of  eternal  bliss,  or  of  never-ending  misery, 
religion  will  not  suffer  us  to  believe,  and,  amidst  a 
race  who  had  so  great  a  share  of  worldly  triumph 
and  prosperity,  we  must  suppose  there  have  existed 
many  who  have  been  justly  subjected  to  the  doom 
of  an  intermediate  space  of  punishment.  You  have 
destroyed  the  temples  which  were  built  by  their 
posterity  to  propitiate  Heaven  for  the  welfare  of 
their  souls;  you  have  silenced  the  prayers  and 
stopped  the  choirs,  by  the  mediation  of  which  the 
piety  of  children  had  sought  to  appease  the  wrath 
of  Heaven  in  behalf  of  their  ancestors,  subjected 
to  expiatory  fires.  Can  you  wonder  that  the  tor- 
mented spirits,  thus  deprived  of  the  relief  which 
had  been  proposed  to  them,  should  not,  according 
to  the  common  phrase,  rest  in  their  graves  ?  Can 
you  wonder  they  should  show  themselves  like  dis- 
contented loiterers  near  to  the  places  which,  but 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  153 

for  the  manner  in  which  you  have  prosecuted  your 
remorseless  warfare,  might  have  ere  now  afforded 
them  rest  ?  Or  do  you  marvel  that  these  fleshless 
warriors  should  interrupt  your  marches,  and  do 
what  else  their  airy  nature  may  permit  to  disturb 
your  councils,  and  meet  as  far  as  they  may  the  hos- 
tilities which  you  make  it  your  boast  to  carry  on, 
as  well  against  those  who  are  deceased,  as  against 
any  who  may  yet  survive  your  cruelty  ? " 

"  Old  man,"  replied  Aymer  de  Valence,  "  you  can- 
not expect  that  I  am  to  take  for  answer  a  story  like 
this,  being  a  fiction  too  gross  to  charm  to  sleep  a 
schoolboy  tormented  with  the  toothache ;  neverthe- 
less, I  thank  God  that  thy  doom  does  not  remain  iu 
my  hands.  My  squire  and  two  archers  shall  carry 
thee  captive  to  the  worshipful  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
Governor  of  the  Castle  and  Valley,  that  he  may 
deal  with  thee  as  seems  meet ;  nor  is  he  a  person 
to  believe  in  your  apparitions  and  ghosts  from  pur- 
gatory.—  What  ho!  Fabian!  Come  hither,  and 
bring  with  thee  two  archers  of  the  guard." 

Fabian  accordingly,  who  had  waited  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  ruined  building,  now  found  his  way, 
by  the  light  of  the  old  sexton's  lamp,  and  the  sound 
of  his  master's  voice,  into  the  singular  apartment 
of  the  old  man,  the  strange  decorations  of  which 
struck  the  youth  with  great  surprise,  and  some 
horror. 

"  Take  the  two  archers  with  thee,  Fabian,"  said 
the  Knight  of  Valence,  "  and,  with  their  assistance, 
convey  this  old  man,  on  horseback,  or  in  a  litter,  to 
the  presence  of  the  worshipful  Sir  John  de  Walton. 
Tell  him  what  we  have  seen,  which  thou  didst  wit- 
ness as  well  as  I ;  and  tell  him  that  this  old  sexton, 
whom  I  send  to  be  examined  by  his  superior  wis- 


154  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

dom,  seems  to  know  more  than  he  is  willing  to 
disclose  respecting  our  ghostly  cavalier,  though  he 
will  give  us  no  account  of  him,  except  intimating 
that  he  is  a  spirit  of  the  old  Douglases  from  pur- 
gatory, to  which  Sir  John  de  Walton  will  give  what 
faith  he  pleases.  You  may  say  that,  for  my  part, 
my  belief  is,  either  that  the  sexton  is  crazed 
by  age,  want,  and  enthusiasm,  or  that  he  is  con- 
nected with  some  plot  which  the  country  people 
are  hatching.  You  may  also  say  that  I  shall  not 
use  much  ceremony  with  the  youth  under  the 
care  of  the  Abbot  of  St.  Bride ;  there  is  something 
suspicious  in  all  the  occurrences  that  are  now  passing 
around  us." 

Fabian  promised  obedience ;  and  the  knight, 
pulling  him  aside,  gave  him  an  additional  caution, 
to  behave  with  attention  in  this  business,  seeing  he 
must  recollect  that  neither  the  judgment  of  himself 
nor  that  of  his  master  was  apparently  held  in  very 
much  esteem  by  the  governor;  and  that  it  would 
ill  become  them  to  make  any  mistake  in  a  mat- 
ter where  the  safety  of  the  castle  was  perhaps 
concerned. 

"  Fear  me  not,  worshipful  sir,"  replied  the  youth ; 
"  I  am  returning  to  pure  air  in  the  first  place,  and  a 
good  fire  in  the  second,  both  acceptable  exchanges 
for  this  dungeon  of  suffocating  vapours  and  exe- 
crable smells.  You  may  trust  to  my  making  no 
delay;  a  very  short  time  will  carry  me  back  to 
Castle  Douglas,  even  moving  with  suitable  attention 
to  this  old  man's  bones." 

"Use  him  humanely,"  answered  the  knight. 
"And  thou,  old  man,  if  thou  art  insensible  to 
threats  of  personal  danger  in  this  matter,  remem- 
ber, that  if  thou  art  found  paltering  with  us,  thy 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  155 

punishment  will  perhaps  be  more  severe  than  any 
we  can  inflict  upon  thy  person." 

"Can  you  administer  the  torture  to  the  soul?** 
said  the  sexton. 

"As  to  thee,"  answered  the  knight,  "we  have 
that  power ;  —  we  will  dissolve  every  monastery  or 
religious  establishment  held  for  the  souls  of  these 
Douglases,  and  will  only  allow  the  religious  people 
to  hold  their  residence  there,  upon  condition  of 
their  praying  for  the  soul  of  King  Edward  the  First 
of  glorious  memory,  the  malleus  Scotorum  ;  and  if 
the  Douglases  are  deprived  of  the  ghostly  benefit 
of  the  prayers  and  services  of  such  shrines,  they 
may  term  thy  obstinacy  the  cause." 

"  Such  a  species  of  vengeance,"  answered  the  old 
man,  in  the  same  bold  unsubdued  tone  which  he 
had  hitherto  used,  "  were  more  worthy  of  the 
infernal  fiends  than  of  Christian  men." 

The  squire  raised  his  hand.  The  knight  inter- 
posed :  "  Forbear  him,"  he  said,  "  Fabian,  he  is  very 
old,  and  perhaps  insane.  —  And  you,  sexton,  re- 
member that  the  vengeance  threatened  is  lawfully 
directed  towards  a  family  which  have  been  the 
obstinate  supporters  of  the  excommunicated  rebel 
who  murdered  the  Eed  Comyn  at  the  High  Church 
in  Dumfries." 

So  saying,  Aymer  strode  out  of  the  ruins,  picking 
his  way  with  some  difficulty  —  took  his  horse, 
which  he  found  at  the  entrance  —  repeated  a  cau- 
tion to  Fabian,  to  conduct  himself  with  prudence 
—  and,  passing  on  to  the  south-western  gate,  gave 
the  strongest  injunctions  concerning  the  necessity 
of  keeping  a  vigilant  watch,  both  by  patrols  and  by 
sentinels,  intimating,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  must 
have  been  neglected  during  the  preceding  part  of 


156  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  evening.  The  men  murmured  an  apology,  the 
confusion  of  which  seemed  to  express  that  there 
had  existed  some  occasion  for  the  reprimand. 

Sir  Aymer  then  proceeded  on  his  journey  to 
Hazelside,  his  train  diminished  by  the  absence  of 
Fabian  and  his  assistants.  After  a  hasty  but  not 
a  short  journey,  the  knight  alighted  at  Thomas 
Dickson's,  where  he  found  the  detachment  from 
Ayr  had  arrived  before  him,  and  were  snugly 
housed  for  the  night.  He  sent  one  of  the  archers 
to  announce  his  approach  to  the  Abbot  of  St.  Bride 
and  his  young  guest,  intimating,  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  archer  must  keep  sight  of  the  latter  until 
he  himself  arrived  at  the  chapel,  which  would  be 
instantly. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"When  the  nightengale  singes,  the  wodes  waxen  grene, 
Lef,  and  gras,  and  blosme,  springeth  in  April  I  wene, 
And  love  is  to  myne  herte  gone  with  one  speare  so  kene, 
Night  and  day  my  blood  hyt  drynkes,  mine  herte  deth  me  tene. 
MSS.  Hail.     Quoted  by  Warton. 

Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  had  no  sooner  followed  his 
archer  to  the  convent  of  St.  Bride,  than  he  sum- 
moned the  abbot  to  his  presence,  who  came  with 
the  air  of  a  man  who  loves  his  ease,  and  who  is 
suddenly  called  from  the  couch  where  he  has  con- 
signed himself  to  a  comfortable  repose,  at  the  sum- 
mons of  one  whom  he  does  not  think  it  safe  to 
disobey,  and  to  whom  he  would  not  disguise  his 
sense  of  peevishness,  if  he  durst. 

"  It  is  a  late  ride,"  he  said,  "  which  has  brought 
your  worthy  honour  hither  from  the  castle.  May 
I  be  informed  of  the  cause,  after  the  arrangement 
so  recently  gone  into  with  the  governor  ? " 

"  It  is  my  hope,"  replied  the  knight,  "  that  you, 
Father  Abbot,  are  not  already  conscious  of  it.  Sus- 
picions are  afloat,  and  I  myself  have  this  night 
seen  something  to  confirm  them,  that  some  of  the 
obstinate  rebels  of  this  country  are  again  setting 
afoot  dangerous  practices,  to  the  peril  of  the  gar- 
rison ;  and  I  come,  father,  to  see  whether,  in  re- 
quital of  many  favours  received  from  the  English 
monarch,  you  will  not  merit  his  bounty  and  pro- 
tection, by  contributing  to  the  discovery  of  the 
designs  of  his  enemies." 


158  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  Assuredly  so,"  answered  Father  Jerome,  in  an 
agitated  voice.  "  Most  unquestionably  my  infor- 
mation should  stand  at  your  command ;  that  is,  if 
I  knew  anything  the  communication  of  which  could 
be  of  advantage  to  you." 

"Father  Abbot,"  replied  the  English  knight, 
"  although  it  is  rash  to  make  myself  responsible  for 
a  North-country  man  in  these  times,  yet  I  own  I 
do  consider  you  as  one  who  has  ever  been  faithfully 
subject  to  the  King  of  England,  and  I  willingly 
hope  that  you  will  still  continue  so." 

"  And  a  fine  encouragement  I  have ! "  said  the 
abbot ;  "  to  be  called  out  of  my  bed  at  midnight,  in 
this  raw  weather,  to  undergo  the  examination  of  a 
knight,  who  is  the  youngest,  perhaps,  of  his  own 
honourable  rank,  and  who  will  not  -tell  me  the 
subject  of  the  interrogatories,  but  detains  me  on 
this  cold  pavement,  till,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
Celsus,  the  podagra  which  lurks  in  my  feet  may  be 
driven  into  my  stomach,  and  then  good-night  to 
abbacy  and  examinations  from  henceforward." 

"  Good  father,"  said  the  young  man,  "  the  spirit 
of  the  times  must  teach  thee  patience ;  recollect 
that  I  can  feel  no  pleasure  in  this  duty,  and  that,  if 
an  insurrection  should  take  place,  the  rebels,  who 
are  sufficiently  displeased  with  thee  for  acknow- 
ledging the  English  monarch,  would  hang  thee 
from  thine  own  steeple  to  feed  the  crows ;  or  that, 
if  thou  hast  secured  thy  peace  by  some  private 
compact  with  the  insurgents,  the  English  governor, 
who  will  sooner  or  later  gain  the  advantage,  will 
not  fail  to  treat  thee  as  a  rebel  to  his  sovereign." 

"  It  may  appear  to  you,  my  noble  son,"  answered 
the  abbot,  obviously  discomposed,  "  that  I  am  hung 
up,  in  this  case,  on  the  horns  of  the  dilemma  which 


i 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  159 

you  have  stated ;  nevertheless,  I  protest  to  you, 
that  if  any  one  accuses  me  of  conspiring  with  the 
rebels  against  the  King  of  England,  I  am  ready, 
provided  you  give  me  time  to  swallow  a  potion 
recommended  by  Celsus  in  my  perilous  case,  to 
answer  with  the  most  perfect  sincerity  every  ques- 
tion which  thou  canst  put  to  me  upon  that  subject.'* 
So  saying,  he  called  upon  a  monk  who  had  attended 
at  his  levde,  and,  giving  him  a  large  key,  whispered 
something  in  his  ear.  The  cup  which  the  monk 
brought  was  of  such  capacity  as  proved  Celsus's 
draught  required  to  be  administered  in  considerable 
quantity,  and  a  strong  smell  which  it  spread 
through  the  apartment  accredited  the  knight's  sus- 
picion that  the  medicine  chiefly  consisted  of  what 
were  then  termed  distilled  waters,  a  preparation 
known  in  the  monasteries  for  some  time  before  that 
comfortable  secret  had  reached  the  laity  in  general. 
The  abbot,  neither  overawed  by  the  strength  nor 
by  the  quantity  of  the  potion,  took  it  off  with  what 
he  himself  would  have  called  a  feeling  of  solace 
and  pleasance,  and  his  voice  became  much  more 
composed ;  he  signified  himself  as  comforted  extraor- 
dinarily by  the  medicine,  and  willing  to  proceed  to 
answer  any  questions  which  could  be  put  to  him 
by  his  gallant  young  friend. 

"At  present,"  said  the  knight,  "you  are  aware, 
father,  that  strangers  travelling  through  this  coun- 
try must  be  the  first  objects  of  our  suspicions  and 
inquiries.  What  is,  for  example,  your  own  opinion 
of  the  youth  termed  Augustine,  the  son,  or  calling 
himself  so,  of  a  person  called  Bertram  the  minstrel, 
who  has  resided  for  some  days  in  your  convent  ? " 

The  abbot  heard  the  question  with  eyes  expres- 
sive of  surprise  at  the  quarter  from  which  it  came. 


i6o  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"Assuredly,"  said  he,  "I  think  of  him  as  a 
youth  who,  from  anything  I  have  seen,  is  of  that 
excellent  disposition,  both  with  respect  to  loyalty 
and  religion,  which  I  should  have  expected,  were 
I  to  judge  from  the  estimable  person  who  committed 
him  to  my  care." 

With  this  the  abbot  bowed  to  the  knight,  as  if 
he  had  conceived  that  this  repartee  gave  him  a 
silencing  advantage  in  any  question  which  could 
follow  upon  that  subject ;  and  he  was  probably, 
therefore,  surprised  when  Sir  Aymer  replied  as 
follows :  — 

"  It  is  very  true.  Father  Abbot,  that  I  myself 
did  recommend  this  stripling  to  you  as  a  youth  of  a 
harmless  disposition,  and  with  respect  to  whom  it 
would  be  unnecessary  to  exercise  the  strict  vigi- 
lance extended  to  others  in  similar  circumstances ; 
but  the  evidence  which  seemed  to  me  to  vouch  for 
this  young  man's  innocence  has  not  appeared  so 
satisfactory  to  my  superior  and  commander;  and 
it  is  by  his  orders  that  I  now  make  further  in- 
quiries of  you.  You  must  think  they  are  of  con- 
sequence, since  we  again  trouble  you,  and  at  so 
unwonted  an  hour." 

"  I  can  only  protest  by  my  order,  and  by  the 
veil  of  St.  Bride,"  replied  the  abbot,  the  spirit  of 
Celsus  appearing  to  fail  his  pupil,  "  that  whatever 
evil  may  be  in  this  matter  is  totally  unknown  to 
me  —  nor  could  it  be  extorted  from  me  by  racks 
or  implements  of  torture.  Whatever  signs  of  dis- 
loyalty may  have  been  evinced  by  this  young  man,  I 
have  witnessed  none  of  them,  although  I  have  been 
strictly  attentive  to  his  behaviour." 

"In  what  respect?"  said  the  knight.  "And 
what  is  the  result  of  your  observation?" 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  i6i 

"  My  answer,"  said  the  abbot  of  St.  Bride,  "  shall 
be  sincere  and  downright.  The  youth  condescended 
upon  payment  of  a  certain  number  of  gold  crowns, 
not  by  any  means  to  repay  the  hospitality  of  the 
church  of  St.  Bride,  but  merely" 

"  Nay,  father,"  interrupted  the  knight,  "  you  may 
cut  that  short,  since  the  governor  and  I  well  under- 
stand the  terms  upon  which  the  monks  of  St.  Bride 
exercise  their  hospitality.  In  what  manner,  it  is 
more  necessary  to  ask,  was  it  received  by  this  boy  ? " 

"With  the  utmost  gentleness  and  moderation, 
noble  sir,"  answered  the  abbot;  "indeed,  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  at  first,  that  he  might  be  a  trouble- 
some guest,  since  the  amount  of  his  benevolence  to 
the  convent  was  such  as  to  encourage,  and  in  some 
degree  to  authorise,  his  demanding  accommodation 
of  a  kind  superior  to  what  we  had  to  bestow." 

"In  which  case,"  said  Sir  Aymer,  "you  would 
have  had  the  discomfort  of  returning  some  part  of 
the  money  you  had  received?" 

"That,"  replied  the  abbot,  "would  have  been  a 
mode  of  settlement  contrary  to  our  vows.  What  is 
paid  to  the  treasury  of  St.  Bridget  cannot,  agreeably 
to  our  rule,  be  on  any  account  restored.  But,  noble 
knight,  there  was  no  occasion  for  this :  a  crust  of 
white  bread  and  a  draught  of  milk  were  diet  suffi- 
cient to  nourish  this  poor  youth  for  a  day ;  and  it 
was  my  own  anxiety  for  his  health  that  dictated 
the  furnishing  of  his  cell  with  a  softer  bed  and 
coverlet  than  are  quite  consistent  with  the  rules  of 
our  order." 

"  Now  hearken  to  what  I  say,  Sir  Abbot,  and 
answer  me  truly,"  said  the  Knight  of  Valence. 
"What  communication  has  this  youth  held  with 
the  inmates  of  your  convent,  or  with  those  beyond 

11 


I 


i62  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

your  house  ?  Search  your  memory  concerning  this, 
and  let  me  have  a  distinct  answer,  for  your  guest's 
safety  and  your  own  depend  upon  it." 

"  As  I  am  a  Christian  man,"  said  the  abbot,  "  I 
have  observed  nothing  which  could  give  ground  for 
your  worship's  suspicions.  The  boy  Augustine, 
unlike  those  whom  I  have  observed  who  have  been 
educated  in  the  world,  showed  a  marked  preference 
to  the  company  of  such  sisters  as  the  house  of  St. 
Bride  contains,  rather  than  for  that  of  the  monks, 
my  brethren,  although  there  are  among  them  plea- 
sant and  conversible  men." 

"  Scandal,"  said  the  young  knight,  "  might  find  a 
reason  for  that  preference." 

"  Not  in  the  case  of  the  sisters  of  St.  Bridget," 
said  the  abbot,  "most  of  whom  have  been  either 
sorely  misused  by  time,  or  their  comeliness  destroyed 
by  some  mishap  previously  to  their  being  received 
into  the  seclusion  of  the  house." 

This  observation  the  good  father  made  with  some 
internal  movement  of  mirth,  which  was  apparently 
excited  at  the  idea  of  the  sisterhood  of  St.  Bridget 
becoming  attractive  to  any  one  by  dint  of  their 
personal  beauty,  in  which,  as  it  happened,  they 
were  all  notably,  and  almost  ludicrously,  deficient. 
The  English  knight,  to  whom  the  sisterhood  were 
well  known,  felt  also  inclined  to  smile  at  this 
conversation. 

"I  acquit,"  he  said,  "the  pious  sisterhood  of 
charming,  otherwise  than  by  their  kind  wishes,  and 
attention  to  the  wants  of  the  suffering  stranger." 

"  Sister  Beatrice,"  continued  the  father,  resuming 
his  gravity,  "  is  indeed  blessed  with  a  winning  gift 
of  making  comfits  and  syllabubs;  but,  on  minute 
inquiry,  I  do  not  find  that  the  youth  has  tasted  any 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  163 

of  them.  Neither  is  Sister  Ursula  so  hard-favoured 
by  nature,  as  from  the  effects  of  an  accident ;  but 
your  honour  knows  that  when  a  woman  is  ugly  the 
men  do  not  trouble  themselves  about  the  cause  of 
her  hard  favour.  I  will  go,  with  your  leave,  and 
see  in  what  state  the  youth  now  is,  and  summon 
him  before  you." 

"  I  request  you  to  do  so,  father,  for  the  affair  is 
instant ;  and  I  earnestly  advise  you  to  watch,  in  the 
closest  manner,  this  Augustine's  behaviour :  you 
cannot  be  too  particular.  I  will  wait  your  return, 
and  either  carry  the  boy  to  the  castle,  or  leave  him 
here,  as  circumstances  may  seem  to  require." 

The  abbot  bowed,  promised  his  utmost  exertions, 
and  hobbled  out  of  the  room  to  wait  on  the  youth 
Augustine  in  his  cell,  anxious  to  favour,  if  possible, 
the  wishes  of  De  Valence,  whom  he  looked  upon  as 
rendered  by  circumstances  his  military  patron. 

He  remained  long  absent,  and  Sir  Aymer  began 
to  be  of  opinion  that  the  delay  was  suspicious, 
when  the  abbot  returned  with  perplexity  and  dis- 
composure in  his  countenance. 

"  I  crave  your  pardon  for  keeping  your  worship 
waiting,"  said  Jerome,  with  much  anxiety ;  "  but  I 
have  myself  been  detained  and  vexed  by  unnecessary 
formalities  and  scruples  on  the  part  of  this  peevish 
boy.  In  the  first  place,  hearing  my  foot  approaching 
his  bedroom,  my  youth,  instead  of  undoing  the  door, 
which  would  have  been  but  proper  respect  to  my 
place,  on  the  contrary  draws  a  strong  bolt  on  the 
inside ;  and  this  fastening,  forsooth,  has  been  placed 
on  his  chamber  by  Ursula's  command,  that  his 
slumbers  might  be  suitably  respected.  I  intimated 
to  him,  as  I  best  could,  that  he  must  attend  you 
without  delay,  and  prepare  to  accompany  you  to  the 


i64  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Castle  of  Douglas ;  but  he  would  not  answer  a  single 
word,  save  recommending  to  me  patience,  to  which  I 
was  fain  to  have  recourse,  as  well  as  your  archer, 
whom  I  found  standing  sentinel  before  the  door  of 
the  cell,  and  contenting  himself  with  the  assurance 
of  the  sisters  that  there  was  no  other  passage  by 
which  Augustine  could  make  his  escape.  At  length 
the  door  opens,  and  my  young  master  presents  him- 
self fully  arrayed  for  his  journey.  The  truth  is,  I 
think  some  fresh  attack  of  his  malady  has  affected 
the  youth  ;  he  may  perhaps  be  disturbed  with  some 
touch  of  hypochondria,  or  black  choler,  a  species  of 
dotage  of  the  mind,  which  is  sometimes  found  con- 
comitant with  and  symptomatic  of  this  disorder; 
but  he  is  at  present  composed,  and  if  your  worship 
chooses  to  see  him,  he  is  at  your  command." 

"  Call  him  hither,"  said  the  knight.  And  a  consi- 
derable space  of  time  again  elapsed  ere  the  eloquence 
of  the  abbot,  half  chiding  and  half  soothing,  pre- 
vailed on  the  lady,  in  her  adopted  character,  to 
approach  the  parlour,  in  which  at  last  she  made  her 
appearance,  with  a  countenance  on  which  the  marks 
of  tears  might  still  be  discovered,  and  a  pettish 
suUenness,  like  that  of  a  boy,  or,  with  reverence, 
that  of  a  girl,  who  is  determined  upon  taking  her 
own  way  in  any  matter,  and  equally  resolved  to 
give  no  reason  for  her  doing  so.  Her  hurried  levde 
had  not  prevented  her  attending  closely  to  all  the 
mufflings  and  disguisings  by  which  her  pilgrim's 
dress  was  arranged,  so  as  to  alter  her  appearance, 
and  effectually  disguise  her  sex.  But  as  civility 
prevented  her  wearing  her  large  slouched  hat,  she 
necessarily  exposed  her  countenance  more  than  in 
the  open  air ;  and  though  the  knight  beheld  a  most 
lovely  set  of  features,  yet  they  were  not  such  as  were 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  165 

inconsistent  with  the  character  she  had  adopted, 
and  which  she  had  resolved  upon  maintaining  to 
the  last.  She  had,  accordingly,  mustered  up  a  degree 
of  courage  which  was  not  natural  to  her,  and  which 
she  perhaps  supported  by  hopes  which  her  situation 
hardly  admitted.  So  soon  as  she  found  herself  in 
the  same  apartment  with  De  Valence,  she  assumed 
a  style  of  manners,  bolder  and  more  determined 
than  she  had  hitherto  displayed. 

"Your  worship,"  she  said,  addressing  him  even 
before  he  spoke,  "  is  a  knight  of  England,  and  pos- 
sessed, doubtless,  of  the  virtues  which  become  that 
noble  station.  I  am  an  unfortunate  lad,  obliged,  by 
reasons  which  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  keeping 
secret,  to  travel  in  a  dangerous  country,  where  I 
am  suspected,  without  any  just  cause,  of  becoming 
accessory  to  plots  and  conspiracies  which  are  con- 
trary to  my  own  interest,  and  which  my  very  soul 
abhors;  and  which  I  might  safely  abjure,  by  im- 
precating upon  myself  all  the  curses  of  our  religion 
and  renouncing  all  its  promises,  if  I  were  accessory 
to  such  designs,  in  thought,  word,  or  deed.  Never- 
theless, you,  who  will  not  believe  my  solemn  pro- 
testations, are  about  to  proceed  against  me  as  a 
guilty  person,  and  in  so  doing  I  must  warn  you.  Sir 
Knight,  that  you  will  commit  a  great  and  cruel 
injustice." 

"  I  shall  endeavour  to  avoid  that,"  said  the  knight, 
"  by  referring  the  duty  to  Sir  John  de  Walton,  the 
governor,  who  will  decide  what  is  to  be  done ;  in 
this  case,  my  only  duty  will  be  to  place  you  in  his 
hands  at  Douglas  Castle." 

"  Must  you  do  this  ?  "  said  Augustine. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  knight,  "  or  be  answerable 
for  neglecting  my  duty." 


i66  CASTLE  DANGEROUS 

"  But  if  I  become  bound  to  answer  your  loss  with 
a  large  sum  of  money,  a  large  tract  of  land  " 

"  No  treasure,  no  land  —  supposing  such  at  your 
disposal,"  answered  the  knight,  "  can  atone  for  dis- 
grace ;  and  besides,  boy,  how  should  I  trust  to  your 
warrant,  were  my  avarice  such  as  would  induce  me 
to  listen  to  such  proposals  ? " 

"  I  must  then  prepare  to  attend  you  instantly  to 
the  Castle  of  Douglas  and  the  presence  of  Sir  John 
de  Walton  ?  "  replied  Augustine. 

"  Young  man,"  answered  De  Valence,  "  there  is 
no  remedy,  since,  if  you  delay  me  longer,  I  must 
carry  you  thither  by  force." 

"  What  will  be  the  consequence  to  my  father  ?  " 
said  the  youth. 

"  That,"  replied  the  knight,  "  will  depend  exactly 
on  the  nature  of  your  confession  and  his;  some- 
thing you  both  have  to  say,  as  is  evident  from  the 
terms  of  the  letter  Sir  John  de  Walton  conveyed  to 
you  ;  and  I  assure  you,  you  were  better  to  speak  it 
out  at  once  than  to  risk  the  consequences  of  more 
delay.  I  can  admit  of  no  more  trifling ;  and  be- 
lieve me  that  your  fate  will  be  entirely  ruled  by 
your  own  frankness  and  candour." 

"I  must  prepare,  then,  to  travel  at  your  com- 
mand," said  the  youth.  "But  this  cruel  disease 
still  hangs  around  me,  and  Abbot  Jerome,  whose 
leechcraft  is  famous,  will  himself  assure  you  that  I 
cannot  travel  without  danger  of  my  life,  and  that 
while  I  was  residing  in  this  convent  I  declined 
every  opportunity  of  exercise  which  was  offered  me 
by  the  kindness  of  the  garrison  at  Hazelside,  lest  I 
might  by  mishap  bring  the  contagion  among  your 
men." 

"The  youth  says  right,"  said  the  abbot:  "the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  167 

archers  and  men-at-arms  have  more  than  once  sent 
to  invite  this  lad  to  join  in  some  of  their  military- 
games,  or  to  amuse  them,  perhaps,  with  some  of  his 
minstrelsy ;  but  he  has  uniformly  declined  doing 
so ;  and,  according  to  my  belief,  it  is  the  effects  of 
this  disorder  which  have  prevented  his  accepting 
an  indulgence  so  natural  to  his  age,  and  in  so  dull 
a  place  as  the  convent  of  St.  Bride  must  needs 
seem  to  a  youth  bred  up  in  the  world." 

"Do  you  then  hold,  reverend  father,"  said  Sir 
Aymer,  "  that  there  is  real  danger  in  carrying  this 
youth  to  the  castle  to-night,  as  I  proposed  ? " 

"I  conceive  such  danger,"  replied  the  abbot, 
"  to  exist,  not  only  as  it  may  occasion  the  relapse 
of  the  poor  youth  himself,  but  as  particularly  likely, 
no  preparations  having  been  made,  to  introduce 
the  infection  among  your  honourable  garrison ;  for 
it  is  in  these  relapses,  more  than  in  the  first  vio- 
lence of  the  malady,  that  it  has  been  found  most 
contagious." 

"  Then,"  said  the  knight,  "  you  must  be  content, 
my  friend,  to  give  a  share  of  your  room  to  an 
archer,  by  way  of  sentinel." 

"  I  cannot  object,"  said  Augustine,  "  provided  my 
unfortunate  vicinity  does  not  endanger  the  health 
of  the  poor  soldier." 

"  He  will  be  as  ready  to  do  his  duty,"  said  the 
abbot,  "  without  the  door  of  the  apartment  as 
within  it;  and  if  the  youth  should  sleep  soundly, 
which  the  presence  of  a  guard  in  his  chamber 
might  prevent,  he  is  the  more  likely  to  answer  your 
purpose  on  the  morrow." 

"  Let  it  be  so,"  said  Sir  Aymer ;  "  so  you  are  sure 
that  you  do  not  minister  any  facility  of  escape." 

"  The  apartment,"  said  the  monk,  "  hath  no  other 


i68  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

entrance  than  that  which  is  guarded  by  the  archer, 
but  to  content  you,  I  shall  secure  the  door  in  your 
presence." 

"  So  be  it,  then,"  said  the  knight  of  Valence  ; 
"  this  done,  I  myself  will  lie  down  without  doffing 
my  mail-shirt,  and  snatch  a  sleep  till  the  ruddy 
dawn  calls  me  again  to  duty,  when  you,  Augustine, 
will  hold  yourself  ready  to  attend  me  to  our  Castle 
of  Douglas." 

The  bells  of  the  convent  summoned  the  inha- 
bitants and  inmates  of  St.  Bride  to  morning  prayers 
at  the  first  peep  of  day.  When  this  duty  was  over, 
the  knight  demanded  his  prisoner.  The  abbot 
marshalled  him  to  the  door  of  Augustine's  chamber. 
The  sentinel  who  was  stationed  there,  armed  with 
a  brown-bill,  or  species  of  partisan,  reported  that 
he  had  heard  no  motion  in  the  apartment  during 
the  whole  night.  The  abbot  tapped  at  the  door, 
but  received  no  answer.  He  knocked  again  louder, 
but  the  silence  was  unbroken  from  within. 

"  What  means  this  ? "  said  the  reverend  ruler  of 
the  convent  of  St.  Bride.  "  My  young  patient  has 
certainly  fallen  into  a  syncope  or  swoon  !  " 

"  I  wish.  Father  Abbot,"  said  the  knight,  "  that 
he  may  not  have  made  his  escape  instead,  an  acci- 
dent which  both  you  and  I  may  be  required  to  an- 
swer, since,  according  to  our  strict  duty,  we  ought 
to  have  kept  sight  of  him,  and  detained  him  in 
close  custody  until  daybreak." 

"I  trust  your  worship,"  said  the  abbot,  "only 
anticipates  a  misfortune  which  I  cannot  think 
possible." 

"  We  shall  speedily  see,"  said  the  knight ;  and 
raising  his  voice,  he  called  aloud,  so  as  to  be  heard 
within,   "Bring   crow-bars    and   levers,   and  burst 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  169 

me  that   door   into   splinters  without  an  instant's 
delay  ! " 

The  loudness  of  his  voice,  and  the  stern  tone  in 
which  he  spoke,  soon  brought  around  him  the 
brethren  of  the  house,  and  two  or  three  soldiers  of 
his  own  party,  who  were  already  busy  in  capa- 
risoning their  horses.  The  displeasure  of  the  young 
knight  was  manifested  by  his  flushed  features,  and 
the  abrupt  manner  in  which  he  again  repeated  his 
commands  for  breaking  open  the  door.  This  was 
speedily  performed,  though  it  required  the  applica- 
tion of  considerable  strength,  and  as  the  shattered 
remains  fell  crashing  into  the  apartment  De  Va- 
lence sprang,  and  the  abbot  hobbled,  into  the  cell 
of  the  prisoner,  which,  to  the  fulfilment  of  their 
worst  suspicions,  they  found  empty. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Where  is  he  ?     Has  the  deep  earth  swallow'd  him? 

Or  hath  he  melted  like  some  airy  phantom 

That  shuns  the  approach  of  morn  and  the  young  sun  ? 

Or  hath  he  wrapt  him  in  Cimmerian  darkness, 

And  pass'd  beyond  the  circuit  of  the  sight 

"With  things  of  the  night's  shadows  1 

Anonymous. 

The  disappearance  of  the  youth,  whose  disguise 
and  whose  fate  have,  we  hope,  inclined  our  readers 
to  take  some  interest  in  him,  will  require  some 
explanation  ere  we  proceed  with  the  other  per- 
sonages of  the  story,  and  we  shall  set  about  giving 
it  accordingly. 

When  Augustine  was  consigned  to  his  cell  for 
the  second  time  on  the  preceding  evening,  both  the 
monk  and  the  young  Knight  of  Valence  had  seen 
the  key  turned  upon  him,  and  had  heard  him  se- 
cure the  door  in  the  inside  with  the  bolt  which 
had  been  put  on  at  his  request  by  Sister  Ursula, 
in  whose  affections  the  youth  of  Augustine,  his 
extreme  handsomeness,  and,  above  all,  his  indis- 
position of  body  and  his  melancholy  of  mind,  had 
gained  him  considerable  interest. 

So  soon,  accordingly,  as  Augustine  re-entered  his 
apartment,  he  was  greeted  in  a  whisper  by  the  sister, 
who,  during  the  interval  of  his  absence,  had  con- 
trived to  slip  into  the  cell,  and,  having  tappiced 
herself  behind  the  little  bed,  came  out,  with  great 
appearance  of  joy,  to  greet  the  return  of  the  youth. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  171 

The  number  of  little  attentions,  the  disposal  of 
holly  boughs,  and  such  other  evergreens  as  the 
season  permitted,  showed  the  anxiety  of  the  holy 
sisters  to  decorate  the  chamber  of  their  guest,  and 
the  greetings  of  Sister  Ursula  expressed  the  same 
friendly  interest,  at  the  same  time  intimating  that 
she  was  already  in  some  degree  in  possession  of 
the  stranger's  mystery. 

As  Augustine  and  the  holy  sister  were  busied 
in  exchange  of  confidence,  the  extraordinary  dif- 
ference between  their  countenances  and  their  per- 
sons must  have  struck  any  one  who  might  have 
been  accidentally  a  witness  of  their  interview.  The 
dark  pilgrim's  robe  of  the  disguised  female  was 
not  a  stronger  contrast  to  the  white  woollen  gar- 
ment worn  by  the  votaress  of  St.  Bride  than  the 
visage  of  the  nun,  seamed  with  many  a  ghastly 
scar,  and  the  light  of  one  of  her  eyes  extinguished 
for  ever,  causing  it  to  roll  a  sightless  luminary  in 
her  head,  was  to  the  beautiful  countenance  of 
Augustine,  now  bent  with  a  confidential  and  even 
affectionate  look  upon  the  extraordinary  features 
of  her  companion. 

"  You  know, "  said  the  supposed  Augustine,  "  the 
principal  part  of  my  story.  Can  you,  or  will  you, 
lend  me  your  assistance  ?  If  not,  my  dearest  sis- 
ter, you  must  consent  to  witness  my  death,  rather 
than  my  shame.  Yes,  Sister  Ursula,  I  will  not  be 
pointed  at  by  the  finger  of  scorn,  as  the  thoughtless 
maiden  who  sacrificed  so  much  for  a  young  man,  of 
whose  attachment  she  was  not  so  well  assured  as 
she  ought  to  have  been.  I  will  not  be  dragged 
before  De  Walton,  for  the  purpose  of  being  com- 
pelled, by  threats  of  torture,  to  declare  myself  the 
female  in  honour  of  whom  he  holds  the  Dangerous 


172  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Castle.  No  doubt,  he  might  be  glad  to  give  his 
hand  in  wedlock  to  a  damsel  whose  dowry  is  so 
ample;  but  who  can  tell  whether  he  will  regard 
me  with  that  respect  which  every  woman  would 
wish  to  command,  or  pardon  that  boldness  of  which 
I  have  been  guilty,  even  though  its  consequences 
have  been  in  his  own  favour?" 

"  Nay,  my  darling  daughter,"  answered  the  nun, 
"  comfort  yourself ;  for,  in  all  I  can  aid  you,  be 
assured  I  will.  My  means  are  somewhat  more  than 
my  present  situation  may  express,  and,  be  assured, 
they  shall  be  tried  to  the  uttermost.  Methinks  I 
still  hear  that  lay  which  you  sang  to  the  other 
sisters  and  myself,  although  I  alone,  touched  by 
feelings  kindred  to  yours,  had  the  address  to  com- 
prehend that  it  told  your  own  tale." 

"  I  am  yet  surprised,"  said  Augustine,  speaking 
beneath  her  breath,  "  how  I  had  the  boldness  to 
sing  in  your  ears  the  lay,  which,  in  fact,  was  the 
history  of  my  disgrace." 

"  Alas  !  that  you  will  say  so,"  returned  the  nun ; 
**  there  was  not  a  word  but  what  resembled  those 
tales  of  love  and  of  high-spirited  daring  which  the 
best  minstrels  love  to  celebrate,  and  the  noblest 
knights  and  maidens  weep  at  once  and  smile  to 
hear.  The  Lady  Augusta  of  Berkely,  a  great 
heiress,  according  to  the  world,  both  in  land  and 
movable  goods,  becomes  the  king's  ward  by  the 
death  of  her  parents ;  and  thus  is  on  the  point  of 
being  given  away  in  marriage  to  a  minion  of  the 
King  of  England,  whom  in  these  Scottish  valleys 
we  scruple  not  to  call  a  peremptory  tyrant." 

"  I  must  not  say  so,  my  sister,"  said  the  pilgrim  ; 
"  and  yet,  true  it  is,  that  the  cousin  of  the  obscure 
parasite  Gaviston,  on  whom  the   king  wished  to 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  173 

confer  my  poor  hand,  was  neither  by  birth,  merit, 
nor  circumstance  worthy  of  such  an  alliance.  Mean- 
time I  heard  of  the  fame  of  Sir  John  de  Walton ; 
and  I  heard  of  it  not  with  the  less  interest  that  his 
feats  of  chivalry  were  said  to  adorn  a  knight,  who, 
rich  in  everything  else,  was  poor  in  worldly  goods, 
and  in  the  smiles  of  fortune.  I  saw  this  Sir  John 
de  Walton,  and  I  acknowledge  that  a  thought, 
which  had  already  intruded  itself  on  my  imagina- 
tion, became,  after  this  interview,  by  frequent  re- 
currence, more  familiar,  and  more  welcome  to  me. 
Methought  that  the  daughter  of  a  powerful  English 
family,  if  she  could  give  away  with  her  hand  such 
wealth  as  the  world  spoke  of,  would  more  justly 
and  honourably  bestow  it  in  remedying  the  errors 
of  fortune  in  regard  to  a  gallant  knight  like  De 
Walton,  than  in  patching  the  revenues  of  a  beggarly 
Frenchman,  whose  only  merit  was  in  being  the 
kinsman  of  a  man  who  was  very  generally  detested 
by  the  whole  kingdom  of  England,  excepting  the 
infatuated  monarch  himself." 

"  Nobly  designed,  my  daughter,"  said  the  nun. 
"  What  more  worthy  of  a  noble  heart,  possessing 
riches,  beauty,  birth,  and  rank,  than  to  confer  them 
all  upon  indigent  and  chivalrous  merit  ?  " 

"  Such,  dearest  sister,  was  my  intention,"  replied 
Augustine  ;  "  but  I  have,  perhaps,  scarce  sufficiently 
explained  the  manner  in  which  I  meant  to  proceed. 
By  the  advice  of  a  minstrel  of  our  house,  the  same 
who  is  now  prisoner  at  Douglas,  I  caused  exhibit  a 
large  feast  upon  Christmas  eve,  and  sent  invitations 
abroad  to  the  young  knights  of  noble  name  who 
were  known  to  spend  their  leisure  in  quest  of  arms 
and  adventures.  When  the  tables  were  drawn,  and ' 
the  feast  concluded,  Bertram,  as  had  been  before 


174  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

devised,  was  called  upon  to  take  his  harp.  He  sang, 
receiving  from  all  who  were  present  the  attention 
due  to  a  minstrel  of  so  much  fame.  The  theme 
which  he  chose  was  the  frequent  capture  of  this 
Douglas  Castle,  or,  as  the  poet  termed  it.  Castle 
Dangerous.  *  Where  are  the  champions  of  the 
renowned  Edward  the  First,'  said  the  minstrel, 
'  when  the  realm  of  England  cannot  furnish  a  man 
brave  enough,  or  sufficiently  expert  in  the  wars,  to 
defend  a  miserable  hamlet  of  the  North  against  the 
Scottish  rebels,  who  have  vowed  to  retake  it  over 
our  soldiers'  heads  ere  the  year  rolls  to  an  end? 
Where  are  the  noble  ladies,  whose  smiles  used  to 
give  countenance  to  the  Knights  of  St.  George's 
Cross  ?  Alas  !  the  spirit  of  love  and  of  chivalry  is 
alike  dead  amongst  us  —  our  knights  are  limited  to 
petty  enterprises  —  and  our  noblest  heiresses  are 
given  as  prizes  to  strangers,  as  if  their  own  country 
had  no  one  to  deserve  them.'  —  Here  stopped  the 
harp ;  and  I  shame  to  say  that  I  myself,  as  if  moved 
to  enthusiasm  by  the  song  of  the  minstrel,  arose, 
and,  taking  from  my  neck  the  chain  of  gold  which 
supported  a  crucifix  of  special  sanctity,  I  made  my 
vow,  always  under  the  king's  permission,  that  I 
would  give  my  hand,  and  the  inheritance  of  my 
fathers,  to  the  good  knight,  being  of  noble  birth  and 
lineage,  who  should  keep  the  Castle  of  Douglas,  in 
the  King  of  England's  name,  for  a  year  and  a  day. 
I  sat  down,  my  dearest  sister,  deafened  with  the 
jubilee  in  which  my  guests  expressed  their  applause 
of  my  supposed  patriotism.  Yet  some  degree  of 
pause  took  place  amidst  the  young  knights,  who 
might  reasonably  have  been  supposed  ready  to 
embrace  this  offer,  although  at  the  risk  of  being 
incumbered  with  Augusta  of  Berkely." 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  175 

"  Shame  on  the  man,"  said  Sister  Ursula,  "  who 
should  think  so  !  Put  your  beauty  alone,  my  dearest, 
into  consideration,  and  a  true  knight  ought  to  have 
embraced  the  dangers  of  twenty  Castles  of  Douglas, 
rather  than  let  such  an  invaluable  opportunity  of 
gaining  your  favour  be  lost." 

"It  may  be  that  some  in  reality  thought  so," 
said  the  pilgrim;  "but  it  was  supposed  that  the 
king's  favour  might  be  lost  by  those  who  seemed 
too  anxious  to  thwart  his  royal  purpose  upon  his 
ward's  hand.  At  any  rate,  greatly  to  my  joy,  the 
only  person  who  availed  himself  of  the  offer  I  had 
made  was  Sir  John  de  Walton ;  and  as  his  acceptance 
of  it  was  guarded  by  a  clause,  saving  and  reserving 
the  king's  approbation,  I  hope  he  has  not  suffered 
any  diminution  of  Edward's  favour." 

"  Assure  yourself,  noble  and  high-spirited  young 
lady,"  replied  the  nun,  "  that  there  is  no  fear  of  thy 
generous  devotion  hurting  thy  lover  with  the  King 
of  England.  Something  we  hear  concerning  worldly 
passages,  even  in  this  remote  nook  of  St.  Bride's 
cloister;  and  the  report  goes  among  the  English 
soldiers  that  their  king  was  indeed  offended  at  your 
putting  your  will  in  opposition  to  his  own  ;  yet,  on 
the  other  hand,  this  preferred  lover,  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  was  a  man  of  such  extensive  fame,  and 
your  offer  was  so  much  in  the  character  of  better 
but  not  forgotten  times,  that  even  a  king  could  not 
at  the  beginning  of  a  long  and  stubborn  war  deprive 
an  errant  cavalier  of  his  bride,  if  she  should  be  duly 
won  by  his  sword  and  lance." 

"Ah!  dearest  Sister  Ursula!"  sighed  the  dis- 
guised pilgrim  ;  "  but,  on  the  other  hand,  how  much 
time  must  pass  by  in  the  siege,  by  defeating  which 
that  suit  must  needs  be  advanced?     While  I  sat 


176  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

in  my  lonely  castle,  tidings  after  tidings  came  to 
astound  me  with  the  numerous,  or  rather  the  con- 
stant, dangers  with  which  my  lover  was  surrounded, 
until  at  length,  in  a  moment  I  think  of  madness,  I 
resolved  to  set  out  in  this  masculine  disguise  ;  and, 
having  myself  with  my  own  eyes  seen  in  what  situa- 
tion I  had  placed  my  knight,  I  determined  to  take 
such  measures  in  respect  to  shortening  the  term  of 
liis  trial,  or  otherwise,  as  a  sight  of  Douglas  Castle, 
and  —  why  should  I  deny  it?  —  of  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  might  suggest.  Perhaps  you,  my  dearest 
sister,  may  not  so  well  understand  my  being  tempted 
into  flinching  from  the  resolution  which  I  had  laid 
down  for  my  own  honour,  and  that  of  my  lover; 
but  consider,  that  my  resolution  was  the  conse- 
quence of  a  moment  of  excitation,  and  that  the 
course  which  I  adopted  was  the  conclusion  of  a  long, 
wasting,  sickening  state  of  uncertainty,  the  effect  of 
which  was  to  weaken  the  nerves  which  were  once 
highly  strung  with  love  of  my  country,  as  I  thought ; 
but  in  reality,  alas  !  with  fond  and  anxious  feelings 
of  a  more  selfish  description." 

"  Alas  !  "  said  Sister  Ursula,  evincing  the  strongest 
symptoms  of  interest  and  compassion,  *'am  I  the  per- 
son, dearest  child,  whom  you  suspect  of  insensibility 
to  the  distresses  which  are  the  fruit  of  true  love  ? 
Do  you  suppose  that  the  air  which  is  breathed 
within  these  walls  has  the  property,  upon  the 
female  heart,  of  such  marvellous  fountains  as  they 
say  change  into  stone  the  substances  which  are 
immersed  into  their  waters  ?  Hear  my  tale,  and 
judge  if  it  can  be  thus  with  one  who  possesses  my 
causes  of  grief.  And  do  not  fear  for  loss  of  time : 
we  must  let  our  neighbours  at  Hazelside  be  settled 
for  the  evening,  ere  I  furnish  you  with  the  means 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  177 

of  escape;  and  you  must  have  a  trusty  guide,  for 
whose  fidelity  I  will  be  responsible,  to  direct  your 
path  through  these  woods,  and  protect  you  in  case 
of  any  danger,  too  likely  to  occur  in  these  trouble- 
some times.  It  will  thus  be  nigh  an  hour  ere  you 
depart ;  and  sure  I  am  that  in  no  manner  can  you 
spend  the  time  better  than  in  listening  to  distresses 
too  similar  to  your  own,  and  flowing  from  the 
source  of  disappointed  affection  which  you  must 
needs  sympathise   with." 

The  distresses  of  the  Lady  Augusta  did  not  pre- 
vent her  being  in  some  degree  affected  almost  ludi- 
crously with  the  singular  contrast  between  the 
hideous  countenance  of  this  victim  of  the  tender 
passion,  and  the  cause  to  which  she  imputed  her 
sorrows ;  but  it  was  not  a  moment  for  giving  way 
to  a  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  which  would  have  been 
in  the  highest  degree  offensive  to  the  sister  of  St. 
Bride,  whose  good-will  she  had  so  many  reasons 
to  conciliate.  She  readily,  therefore,  succeeded  in 
preparing  herself  to  listen  to  the  votary  with  an 
appearance  of  sympathy,  which  might  reward  that 
which  she  had  herself  experienced  at  the  hands  of 
Sister  Ursula ;  while  the  unfortunate  recluse,  with 
an  agitation  which  made  her  ugliness  still  more  con- 
spicuous, narrated,  nearly  in  a  whisper,  the  following 
circumstances :  — 

"  My  misfortunes  commenced  long  before  I  was 
called  Sister  Ursula,  or  secluded  as  a  votaress  within 
these  walls.  My  father  was  a  noble  Norman,  who, 
like  many  of  his  countrymen,  sought  and  found 
fortune  at  the  court  of  the  King  of  Scotland.  He 
was  endowed  with  the  sheriffdom  of  this  county, 
and  Maurice  de  Hattely,  or  Hautlieu,  was  numbered 
among  the  wealthy  and  powerful  barons  of  Scotland. 

12 


178  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Wherefore  should  I  deny  it,  that  the  daughter  of 
this  baron,  then  called  Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  was 
also  distinguished  among  the  great  and  fair  of  the 
land  ?  It  can  be  no  censurable  vanity  which  pro- 
vokes me  to  speak  the  truth,  and,  unless  I  tell  it 
myself,  you  could  hardly  suspect  what  a  resemblance 
I  once  bore  even  to  the  lovely  Lady  Augusta  of 
Berkely.  About  this  time  broke  out  those  unfortu- 
nate feuds  of  Bruce  and  Baliol,  which  have  been  so 
long  the  curse  of  this  country.  My  father,  deter- 
miaed  in  his  choice  of  party  by  the  arguments  of 
his  wealthy  kinsmen  at  the  court  of  Edward, 
embraced  with  passion  the  faction  of  the  English 
interest,  and  became  one  of  the  keenest  partisans, 
at  first  of  John  Baliol,  and  afterwards  of  the  English 
monarch.  None  among  the  Anglocised-Scottish,  as 
his  party  was  called,  were  so  zealous  as  he  for  the 
red  cross,  and  no  one  was  more  detested  by  his 
countrymen  who  followed  the  national  standard  of 
St.  Andrew  and  the  patriot  Wallace.  Among  those 
soldiers  of  the  soil,  Malcolm  Fleming  of  Biggar  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  by  his  noble  birth,  his 
high  acquirements,  and  his  fame  in  chivalry.  I  saw 
him ;  and  the  ghastly  spectre  who  now  addresses 
you  must  not  be  ashamed  to  say,  that  she  loved, 
and  was  beloved  by,  one  of  the  handsomest  youths 
in  Scotland.  Our  attachment  was  discovered  to  my 
father  almost  ere  we  had  owned  it  to  each  other, 
and  he  was  furious  both  against  my  lover .  and 
myself ;  he  placed  me  under  the  charge  of  a  religious 
woman  of  this  rule,  and  I  was  immured  within  the 
house  of  St.  Bride,  where  my  father  shamed  not  to 
announce  he  would  cause  me  to  take  the  veil  by 
force,  unless  I  agreed  to  wed  a  youth  bred  at  the 
English  court,  his   nephew,  and,   as  Heaven   had 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  179 

granted  him  no  son,  the  heir,  as  he  had  resolved,  of 
the  House  of  Hautlieu.  I  was  not  long  in  making 
my  election.  I  protested  that  death  should  be  my 
choice,  rather  than  any  other  husband  excepting 
Malcolm  Fleming.  Neither  was  my  lover  less 
faithful :  he  found  means  to  communicate  to  me  a 
particular  night  on  which  he  proposed  to  attempt 
to  storm  the  nunnery  of  St.  Bride,  and  carry  me 
from  hence  to  freedom  and  the  greenwood,  of  which 
Wallace  was  generally  called  the  king.  In  an  evil 
hour  —  an  hour,  I  think,  of  infatuation  and  witchery 
—  I  suffered  the  abbess  to  wheedle  the  secret  out  of 
me,  which  I  might  have  been  sensible  would  appear 
more  horribly  flagitious  to  her  than  to  any  other 
woman  that  breathed ;  but  I  had  not  taken  the 
vows,  and  I  thought  Wallace  and  Fleming  had  the 
same  charms  for  everybody  as  for  me,  and  the  artful 
woman  gave  me  reason  to  believe  that  her  loyalty 
to  Bruce  was  without  a  flaw  of  suspicion,  and  she 
took  part  in  a  plot  of  which  my  freedom  was  the 
object.  The  abbess  engaged  to  have  the  English 
guards  removed  to  a  distance,  and  in  appearance  the 
troops  were  withdrawn.  Accordingly,  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  appointed,  the  window  of  my  cell,  which 
was  two  stories  from  the  ground,  was  opened  with- 
out noise ;  and  never  were  my  eyes  more  gladdened 
than,  as  ready  disguised  and  arrayed  for  flight,  even 
in  a  horseman's  dress,  like  yourself,  fairest  Lady 
Augusta,  I  saw  Malcolm  Fleming  spring  into  the 
apartment.  He  rushed  towards  me ;  but  at  the 
same  time  my  father  with  ten  of  his  strongest  men 
filled  the  room,  and  cried  their  war-cry  of  Baliol. 
Blows  were  instantly  dealt  on  every  side.  A  form 
like  a  giant,  however,  appeared  in  the  midst  of  the 
tumult,  and  distinguished  himself,  even  to  my  half- 


i8o  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

giddy  eye,  by  the  ease  with  which  he  Lore  down  and 
dispersed  those  who  fought  against  our  freedom. 
My  father  alone  offered  an  opposition  which  threat- 
ened to  prove  fatal  to  him ;  for  Wallace,  it  was  said, 
could  foil  any  two  martial  champions  that  ever  drew 
sword.  Brushing  from  him  the  armed  men,  as  a 
lady  would  drive  away  with  her  fan  a  swarm  of 
troublesome  flies,  he  secured  me  in  one  arm,  used 
his  other  for  our  mutual  protection,  and  I  found 
myself  in  the  act  of  being  borne  in  safety  down  the 
ladder  by  which  my  deliverers  had  ascended  from 
without ;  —  but  an  evil  fate  awaited  this  attempt. 

"  My  father,  whom  the  Champion  of  Scotland  had 
spared  for  my  sake,  or  rather  for  Fleming's,  gained 
by  his  victor's  compassion  and  lenity  a  fearful  ad- 
vantage, and  made  a  remorseless  use  of  it.  Having 
only  his  left  hand  to  oppose  to  the  maniac  attempts 
of  my  father,  even  the  strength  of  Wallace  could 
not  prevent  the  assailant,  with  all  the  energy  of 
desperation,  from  throwing  down  the  ladder,  on 
which  his  daughter  was  perched  like  a  dove  in  the 
grasp  of  an  eagle.  The  Champion  saw  our  danger, 
and,  exerting  his  inimitable  strength  and  agility, 
cleared  himself  and  me  from  the  ladder,  and  leaped 
free  of  the  moat  of  the  convent,  into  which  we  must 
otherwise  have  been  precipitated.  The  Champion 
of  Scotland  was  saved  in  the  desperate  attempt,  but 
I,  who  fell  among  a  heap  of  stones  and  rubbish,  I, 
the  disobedient  daughter,  well-nigh  the  apostate 
vestal,  waked  only  from  a  long  bed  of  sickness,  to 
find  myself  the  disfigured  wretch  which  you  now 
see  me.  I  then  learned  that  Malcolm  had  escaped 
from  the  fray,  and  shortly  after  I  heard,  with 
feelings  less  keen  perhaps  than  they  ought  to  have 
been,  that  my  father  was  slain  in  one  of  the  endless 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  i8i 

battles  which  took  place  between  the  contending 
factions.  If  he  had  lived,  I  might  have  submitted 
to  the  completion  of  my  fate ;  but  since  he  was  no 
more,  I  felt  that  it  would  be  a  preferable  lot  to  be  a 
beggar  in  the  streets  of  a  Scottish  village  than  an 
abbess  in  this  miserable  house  of  St.  Bride;  nor 
was  even  that  poor  object  of  ambition,  on  which 
my  father  used  to  expatiate  when  desirous  of  per- 
suading me  to  enter  the  monastic  state,  by  milder 
means  than  throwing  me  off  the  battlements,  long 
open  to  me.  The  old  abbess  died  of  a  cold  caught 
the  evening  of  the  fray;  and  the  place,  which  might 
have  been  kept  open  until  I  was  capable  of  filling 
it,  was  disposed  of  otherwise,  when  the  English 
thought  fit  to  reform,  as  they  termed  it,  the  disci- 
pline of  the  house ;  and,  instead  of  electing  a  new 
abbess,  sent  hither  two  or  three  friendly  monks, 
who  have  now  the  absolute  government  of  the  com- 
munity, and  wield  it  entirely  according  to  the 
pleasure  of  the  English.  But  I,  for  one,  who  have 
had  the  honour  to  be  supported  by  the  arms  of  the 
Champion  of  my  country,  will  not  remain  here  to 
be  commanded  by  this  Abbot  Jerome.  I  will  go 
forth,  nor  do  I  fear  to  find  relations  and  friends 
who  will  provide  a  more  fitting  place  of  refuge  for 
Margaret  de  Hautlieu  than  the  convent  of  St.  Bride ; 
you  too,  dearest  lady,  shall  obtain  your  freedom,  and 
it  will  be  well  to  leave  such  information  as  will 
make  Sir  John  de  Walton  aware  of  the  devotion 
with  which  his  happy  fate  has  inspired  you." 

"  It  is  not,  then,  your  own  intention,"  said  the 
Lady  Augusta,  "to  return  into  the  world  again, 
and  you  are  about  to  renounce  the  lover,  in  a 
union  with  whom  you  and  he  once  saw  your  joint 
happiness  ? " 


i82  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  It  is  a  question,  my  dearest  child,"  said  Sister 
Ursula,  "  which  I  dare  not  ask  myself,  and  to  which 
I  am  absolutely  uncertain  what  answer  I  should 
return.  I  have  not  taken  the  final  and  irrevocable 
vows ;  I  have  done  nothing  to  alter  my  situation 
with  regard  to  Malcolm  Fleming.  He  also,  by  the 
vows  plighted  in  the  Chancery  of  Heaven,  is  my 
affianced  bridegroom,  nor  am  I  conscious  that  I  less 
deserve  his  faith,  in  any  respect  now,  than  at  the 
moment  when  it  was  pledged  to  me ;  but  I  confess, 
dearest  lady,  that  rumours  have  reached  me  which 
sting  me  to  the  quick ;  the  reports  of  my  wounds 
and  scars  are  said  to  have  estranged  the  knight  of 
my  choice.  I  am  now  indeed  poor,"  she  added,  with 
a  sigh,  "  and  I  am  no  longer  possessed  of  those  per- 
sonal charms  which  they  say  attract  the  love,  and 
fix  the  fidelity,  of  the  other  sex.  I  teach  myself, 
therefore,  to  think,  in  my  moments  of  settled  reso- 
lution, that  all  betwixt  me  and  Malcolm  Fleming  is 
at  an  end,  saving  good  wishes  on  the  part  of  both 
towards  the  other ;  and  yet  there  is  a  sensation  in 
my  bosom  which  whispers,  in  spite  of  my  reason, 
that  if  I  absolutely  believed  that  which  I  now 
say,  there  would  be  no  object  on  earth  worthy  my 
living  for  in  order  to  attain  it.  This  insinuating 
prepossession  whispers  to  my  secret  soul,  and  in 
very  opposition  to  my  reason  and  understanding, 
that  Malcolm  Fleming,  who  could  pledge  his  all 
upon  the  service  of  his  country,  is  incapable  of 
nourishing  the  versatile  affection  of  an  ordinary,  a 
coarse,  or  a  venal  character.  Methinks,  were  the 
difi'erence  upon  his  part  instead  of  mine,  he  would 
not  lose  his  interest  in  my  eyes,  because  he  was 
seamed  with  honourable  scars,  obtained  in  asserting 
the  freedom  of  his  choice,  but  that  such  wounds 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  183 

would,  in  my  opinion,  add  to  his  merit,  whatever 
they  took  away  from  his  personal  comeliness.  Ideas 
rise  on  my  soul,  as  if  Malcolm  and  Margaret  might 
yet  be  to  each  other  all  that  their  affections  once 
anticipated  with  so  much  security,  and  that  a  change, 
which  took  nothing  from  the  honour  and  virtue  of 
the  beloved  person,  must  rather  add  to,  than  dimi- 
nish, the  charms  of  the  union.  Look  at  me,  dearest 
Lady  Augusta !  —  look  me  —  if  you  have  courage  — 
full  in  the  face,  and  tell  me  whether  I  do  not  rave 
when  my  fancy  is  thus  converting  mere  possibilities 
into  that  which  is  natural  and  probable." 

The  Lady  of  Berkely,  conscious  of  the  necessity, 
raised  her  eyes  on  the  unfortunate  nun,  afraid  of 
losing  her  own  chance  of  deliverance  by  the  mode 
in  which  she  should  conduct  herself  in  this  crisis ; 
yet  not  willing  at  the  same  time  to  flatter  the  un- 
fortunate Ursula,  with  suggesting  ideas  for  which 
her  own  sense  told  her  she  could  hardly  find  any 
rational  grounds.  But  her  imagination,  stored 
with  the  minstrelsy  of  the  time,  brought  back  to 
her  recollection  the  Loathly  Lady  in  "  The  Mar- 
riage of  Sir  Gawain, "  and  she  conducted  her  reply 
in  the  following  manner  :  — 

"  You  ask  me,  my  dear  Lady  Margaret,  a  trying 
question,  which  it  would  be  unfriendly  to  answer 
otherwise  than  sincerely,  and  most  cruel  to  answer 
with  too  much  rashness.  It  is  true  that  what  is 
called  beauty  is  the  first  quality  on  which  we  of 
the  weaker  sex  learn  to  set  a  value ;  we  are  flat- 
tered by  the  imputation  of  personal  charms,  whether 
we  actually  possess  them  or  not ;  and  no  doubt  we 
learn  to  place  upon  them  a  great  deal  more  conse- 
quence than  in  reality  is  found  to  belong  to  them. 
Women,  however,  even  such  as  are  held  by  their 


i84  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

own  sex,  and  perhaps  in  secret  by  themselves,  as 
devoid  of  all  pretensions  to  beauty,  have  been 
known  to  become,  from  their  understanding,  their 
talents,  or  their  accomplishments,  the  undoubted 
objects  of  the  warmest  attachment.  Wherefore 
then  should  you,  in  the  mere  rashness  of  your 
apprehension,  deem  it  impossible  that  your  Mal- 
colm Fleming  should  be  made  of  that  porcelain 
clay  of  the  earth  which  despis"es  the  passing  cap- 
tivations  of  outward  form,  in  comparison  to  the 
charms  of  true  affection,  and  the  excellence  of 
talents  and  virtue  ?  " 

The  nun  pressed  her  companion's  hand  to  her 
bosom,  and  answered  her  with  a  deep  sigh. 

"  I  fear, "  she  said,  "  you  flatter  me ;  and  yet,  in 
a  crisis  like  this,  it  does  one  good  to  be  flattered, 
even  as  cordials,  otherwise  dangerous  to  the  con- 
stitution, are  wisely  given  to  support  a  patient 
through  a  paroxysm  of  agony,  and  enable  him  to 
endure  at  least  what  they  cannot  cure.  Answer 
only  one  question,  and  it  will  be  time  we  drop 
this  conversation.  Could  you,  sweet  lady  —  you 
upon  whom  fortune  has  bestowed  so  many  charms 
—  could  any  argument  make  you  patient  under  the 
irretrievable  loss  of  your  personal  advantages,  with 
the  concomitant  loss,  as  in  my  case  is  most  pro- 
bable, of  that  lover  for  whom  you  have  already 
done  so  much  ?  " 

The  English  lady  cast  her  eyes  again  on  her 
friend,  and  could  not  help  shuddering  a  little  at 
the  thought  of  her  own  beautiful  countenance  being 
exchanged  for  the  seamed  and  scarred  features  of 
the  Lady  of  Hautlieu,  irregularly  lighted  by  the 
beams  of  a  single  eye. 

"  Believe  me, "  she  said,  looking  solemnly  up- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  185 

wards,  "  that  even  in  the  case  which  you  suppose, 
I  would  not  sorrow  so  much  for  myself,  as  I  would 
for  the  poor-spirited  thoughts  of  the  lover  who 
could  leave  me  because  those  transitory  charms 
(which  must  in  any  case  ere  long  take  their 
departure)  had  fled  ere  yet  the  bridal  day.  It  is, 
however,  concealed  by  the  decrees  of  Providence, 
in  what  manner,  or  to  what  extent,  other  persons, 
with  whose  disposition  we  are  not  fully  acquainted, 
may  be  affected  by  such  changes.  I  can  only  assure 
you  that  my  hopes  go  with  yours,  and  that  there 
is  no  difficulty  which  shall  remain  in  your  path 
in  future,  if  it  is  in  my  power  to  remove  it. — 
Hark !  " 

"  It  is  the  signal  of  our  freedom, "  replied  Ursula, 
giving  attention  to  something  resembling  the 
whoop  of  the  night  owl.  "  We  must  prepare  to 
leave  the  convent  in  a  few  minutes.  Have  you 
anything  to  take  with  you  ? " 

"  Nothing, "  answered  the  Lady  of  Berkely, 
"  except  the  few  valuables,  which  I  scarce  know 
why  I  brought  with  me  on  my  flight  hither. 
This  scroll,  which  I  shall  leave  behind,  gives 
my  faithful  minstrel  permission  to  save  himself, 
by  confessing  to  Sir  John  de  Walton  who  the 
person  really  is  whom  he  has  had  within  his 
reach. " 

"  It  is  strange, "  said  the  novice  of  St.  Bride, 
"  through  what  extraordinary  labyrinths  this  Love, 
this  Will-of-the-Wisp,  guides  his  votaries.  Take 
heed  as  you  descend ;  this  trapdoor,  carefully  con- 
cealed, curiously  jointed  and  oiled,  leads  to  a 
secret  postern,  where  I  conceive  the  horses  already 
wait  which  will  enable  us  speedily  to  bid  adieu  to 
St.  Bride's  —  Heaven's  blessing  on  her,  and  on  her 


i86  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

convent!  We  can  have  no  advantage  from  any 
light,  until  we  are  in  the  open  air. " 

During  this  time,  Sister  Ursula,  to  give  her  for 
the  last  time  her  conventual  name,  exchanged  her 
stole,  or  loose  upper  garment,  for  the  more  suc- 
cinct cloak  and  hood  of  a  horseman.  She  led  the 
way  through  divers  passages,  studiously  compli- 
cated, until  the  Lady  of  Berkely,  with  throbbing 
heart,  stood  in  the  pale  and  doubtful  moonlight, 
which  was  shining  with  grey  uncertainty  upon  the 
walls  of  the  ancient  building.  The  imitation  of 
an  owlet's  cry  directed  them  to  a  neighbouring 
large  elm,  and  on  approaching  it  they  were  aware 
of  three  horses,  held  by  one  concerning  whom  they 
could  only  see  that  he  was  tall,  strong,  and  ac- 
coutred in  the  dress  of  a  man-at-arms. 

"  The  sooner, "  he  said,  "  we  are  gone  from  this 
place,  Lady  Margaret,  it  is  so  much  the  better. 
You  have  only  to  direct  the  course  which  we  shall 
hold. " 

Lady  Margaret's  answer  was  given  beneath  her 
breath,  .and  replied  to  with  a  caution  from  the 
guide  to  ride  slowly  and  silently  for  the  first  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  by  which  time  inhabited  places 
would  be  left  at  a  distance. 


The  Escape, 
Drawn  and  Etched  by  H.  Macbeth- Raeburn. 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

Great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  young  Knight 
of  Valence  and  the  reverend  Father  Jerome,  when, 
upon  breaking  into  the  cell,  they  discovered  the 
youthful  pilgrim's  absence,  and,  from  the  garments 
which  were  left,  saw  every  reason  to  think  that 
the  one-eyed  novice.  Sister  Ursula,  had  accom- 
panied him  in  his  escape  from  custody.  A  thou- 
sand thoughts  thronged  upon  Sir  Aymer,  how 
shamefully  he  had  suffered  himself  to  be  outwitted 
by  the  artifices  of  a  boy  and  of  a  novice.  His 
reverend  companion  in  error  felt  no  less  contrition 
for  having  recommended  to  the  knight  a  mild 
exercise  of  his  authority.  Father  Jerome  had 
obtained  his  preferment  as  abbot  upon  the  faith  of 
his  zeal  for  the  cause  of  the  English  monarch,  with 
the  affected  interest  in  which  he  was  at  a  loss  to 
reconcile  his  proceedings  of  the  last  night.  A 
hurried  inquiry  took  place,  from  which  little  could 
be  learned,  save  that  the  young  pilgrim  had  most 
certainly  gone  off  with  the  Lady  Margaret  de 
Hautlieu,  an  incident  at  which  the  females  of  the 
convent  expressed  surprise,  mingled  with  a  great 
deal  of  horror;  while  that  of  the  males,  whom  the 
news  soon  reached,  was  qualified  with  a  degree  of 
wonder,  which  seemed  to  be  founded  upon  the  very 
different  personal  appearance  of  the  two  fugitives. 

"  Sacred  Virgin, "  said  a  nun,  "  who  could  have 
conceived  the  hopeful  votaress.  Sister  Ursula,  so 
lately  drowned  in  tears  for  her  father's  untimely 


i88  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

fate,  capable  of  eloping  with  a  boy  scarce  fourteen 
years  old ! " 

"  And,  holy  St.  Bride !  "  said  the  Abbot  Jerome, 
"  what  could  have  made  so  handsome  a  young  man 
lend  his  arm  to  assist  such  a  nightmare  as  Sister 
Ursula  in  the  commission  of  so  great  an  enormity  ? 
Certainly  he  can  neither  plead  temptation  nor 
seduction,  but  must  have  gone,  as  the  worldly 
phrase  is  —  to  the  devil  with  a  dishclout. " 

"  I  must  disperse  the  soldiers  to  pursue  the 
fugitives, "  said  De  Valence,  "  unless  this  letter, 
which  the  pilgrim  must  have  left  behind  him, 
shall  contain  some  explanations  respecting  our 
mysterious  prisoner. " 

After  viewing  the  contents  with  some  surprise, 
he  read  aloud  — 

*^The  undersigned,  late  residing  in  the  house  of  St. 
Bride,  do  you.  Father  Jerome,  the  abbot  of  said  house, 
to  know,  that  finding  you  were  disposed  to  treat  me 
as  a  prisoner  and  a  sp}^,  in  the  sanctuary  to  which 
you  had  received  me  as  a  distressed  person,  I  have  re- 
solved to  use  my  natural  libertj-,  with  which  you  have 
no  right  to  interfere,  and  therefore  have  withdrawn 
myself  from  your  abbacy.  Moreover,  finding  that  the 
novice  called  in  your  convent  Sister  Ursula  (who  hath, 
by  monastic  rule  and  discipline,  a  fair  title  to  return 
to  the  world  unless  she  is  pleased,  after  a  year's  no- 
vitiate, to  profess  herself  sister  of  your  order)  is  de- 
termined to  use  such  privilege,  I  joyfully  take  the 
opportunity  of  her  company  in  this  her  lawful  reso- 
lution, as  being  what  is  in  conformity  to  the  law  of 
God,  and  the  precepts  of  St.  Bride,  which  gave  you 
no  authority  to  detain  any  person  in  your  convent  by 
force  who  hath  not  taken  upon  her  irrevocably  the  vows 
of  the  order. 

*'To  you,   Sir  John  de  Walton,  and  Sir  Aymer  de 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  189 

Valence,  knights  of  England,  commanding  the  garrison 
of  Douglas  Dale,  I  have  only  to  say,  that  you  have 
acted  and  are  acting  against  me  under  a  mystery,  the 
solution  of  which  is  comprehended  in  a  secret  known 
only  to  my  faithful  minstrel,  Bertram  of  the  many 
Lays,  as  whose  son  I  have  found  it  convenient  to  pass 
myself.  But  as  I  cannot  at  this  time  prevail  upon 
myself  personally  to  discover  a  secret  which  cannot 
well  be  unfolded  without  feelings  of  shame,  I  not 
only  give  permission  to  the  said  Bertram  the  minstrel, 
but  I  charge  and  command  him,  that  he  tell  to  you  the 
purpose  with  which  I  came  originally  to  the  Castle  of 
Douglas.  When  this  is  discovered,  it  will  only  re- 
main to  express  my  feelings  towards  the  two  knights, 
in  return  for  the  pain  and  agony  of  mind  which  their 
violence"  and  threats  of  further  severities  have  occa- 
sioned me. 

^^And  first,  respecting  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  I 
freely  and  willingly  forgive  him  for  having  been  in- 
volved in  a  mistake  to  which  I  myself  led  the  way, 
and  I  shall  at  all  times  be  happy  to  meet  with  him  as 
an  acquaintance,  and  never  to  think  further  of  his  part 
in  these  few  days'  history,  saving  as  matter  of  mirth 
and  ridicule. 

**But  respecting  Sir  John  de  Walton,  I  must  re- 
quest of  him  to  consider  whether  his  conduct  towards 
me,  standing  as  we  at  present  do  towards  each  other, 
is  such  as  he  himself  ought  to  forget,  or  I  ought  to  for- 
give ;  and  I  trust  he  will  understand  me  when  I  tell 
him,  that  all  former  connections  must  henceforth  be 
at  an  end  between  him  and  the  supposed 

^^  Augustine." 

"  This  is  madness, "  said  the  abbot,  when  he 
had  read  the  letter,  —  "  very  midsummer  madness ; 
not  unfrequently  an  accompaniment  of  this  pesti- 
lential disease,  and  I  should  do  well  in  requiring 


ipo  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

of  those  soldiers  who  shall  first  apprehend  this 
youth  Augustine,  that  they  reduce  his  victuals 
immediately  to  water  and  bread,  taking  care  that 
the  diet  do  not  exceed  in  measure  what  is  neces- 
sary to  sustain  nature ;  nay,  I  should  be  warranted 
by  the  learned,  did  I  recommend  a  sufficient  inter- 
mixture of  flagellation  with  belts,  stirrup-leathers, 
or  surcingles,  and,  failing  those,  with  riding- 
whips,   switches,   and  the  like. " 

"  Hush !  my  reverend  father, "  said  De  Valence, 
"  a  light  begins  to  break  in  upon  me.  John  de 
Walton,  if  my  suspicion  be  true,  would  sooner 
expose  his  own  flesh  to  be  hewn  from  his  bones, 
than  have  this  Augustine's  finger  stung  by  a  gnat. 
Instead  of  treating  this  youth  as  a  madman,  I,  for 
my  own  part,  will  be  contented  to  avow  that  I 
myself  have  been  bewitched  and  fascinated;  and 
by  my  honour,  if  I  send  out  my  attendants  in 
quest  of  the  fugitives,  it  shall  be  with  the  strict 
charge,  that,  when  apprehended,  they  treat  them 
with  all  respect,  and  protect  them,  if  they  object 
to  return  to  this  house,  to  any  honourable  place 
of  refuge  which  they  may  desire. " 

"  I  hope, "  said  the  abbot,  looking  strangely  con- 
fused, "  I  shall  be  first  heard  in  behalf  of  the 
Church  concerning  this  affair  of  an  abducted  nun  ? 
You  see  yourself.  Sir  Knight,  that  this  scapegrace 
of  a  minstrel  avouches  neither  repentance  nor  con- 
trition at  his  share  in  a  matter  so  flagitious. " 

"  You  shall  be  secured  an  opportunity  of  being 
fully  heard, "  replied  the  knight,  "  if  you  shall  find 
at  last  that  you  really  desire  one.  Meantime,  I 
must  back,  without  a  moment's  delay,  to  inform 
Sir  John  de  Walton  of  the  turn  which  affairs  have 
taken.     Farewell,  reverend  father.     By  my  honour, 


CASTLE  DANGEKOUS.  191 

we  may  wish  each  other  joy  that  we  have  escaped 
from  a  troublesome  charge,  which  brought  as  much 
terror  with  it  as  the  phantoms  of  a  fearful  dream, 
and  is  yet  found  capable  of  being  dispelled  by  a 
cure  as  simple  as  that  of  awakening  the  sleeper. 
But,  by  St.  Bride!  both  churchmen  and  laymen 
are  bound  to  sympathise  with  the  unfortunate  Sir 
John  de  Walton.  I  tell  thee,  father,  that  if 
this  letter  "  —  touching  the  missive  with  his  finger 
—  "  is  to  be  construed  literally,  as  far  as  respects 
him,  he  is  the  man  most  to  be  pitied  betwixt  the 
brink  of  Solway  and  the  place  where  we  now  stand. 
Suspend  thy  curiosity,  most  worthy  churchman, 
lest  there  should  be  more  in  this  matter  than  I 
myself  see ;  so  that,  while  thinking  that  I  have 
lighted  on  the  true  explanation,  I  may  not  have  to 
acknowledge  that  I  have  been  again  leading  you 
into  error.  —  Sound  to  horse  there !  Ho !  "  he 
called  out  from  the  window  of  the  apartment; 
"  and  let  the  party  I  brought  hither  prepare  to 
scour  the  woods  on  their  return. " 

"  By  my  faith !  "  said  Father  Jerome,  "  I  am 
right  glad  that  this  young  nut-cracker  is  going 
to  leave  me  to  my  own  meditation.  I  hate  when 
a  young  person  pretends  to  understand  whatever 
passes,  while  his  betters  are  obliged  to  confess 
that  it  is  all  a  mystery  to  them.  Such  an  as- 
sumption is  like  that  of  the  conceited  fool.  Sister 
Ursula,  who  pretended  to  read  with  a  single  eye  a 
manuscript  which  I  myself  could  not  find  intelli- 
gible with  the  assistance  of  my  spectacles. " 

This  might  not  have  quite  pleased  the  young 
knight,  nor  was  it  one  of  those  truths  which  the 
abbot  would  have  chosen  to  deliver  in  his  hearing. 
But  the  knight  had  shaken  him  by  the  hand,  said 


192  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

adieu,  and  was  already  at  Hazelside,  issuing  par- 
ticular orders  to  little  troops  of  the  archers  and 
others,  and  occasionally  chiding  Thomas  Dickson, 
who,  with  a  degree  of  curiosity  which  the  English 
knight  was  not  very  willing  to  excuse,  had  been 
endeavouring  to  get  some  account  of  the  occur- 
rences of  the  night. 

"  Peace,  fellow !  "  he  said,  "  and  mind  thine 
own  business,  being  well  assured  that  the  hour 
will  come  in  which  it  will  require  all  the  atten- 
tion thou  canst  give,  leaving  others  to  take  care 
of  their  own  affairs. " 

"  If  I  am  suspected  of  anything, "  answered 
Dickson,  in  a  tone  rather  dogged  and  surly  than 
otherwise,  "  methinks  it  were  but  fair  to  let  me 
know  what  accusation  is  brought  against  me.  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  chivalry  prescribes  that  a 
knight  should  not  attack  an  enemy  undefied. " 

"  When  you  are  a  knight,"  answered  Sir  j^ymer 
de  Valence,  "  it  will  be  time  enough  for  me  to 
reckon  with  you  upon  the  points  of  form  due  to 
you  by  the  laws  of  chivalry.  Meanwhile,  you 
had  best  let  me  know  what  share  you  have  had  in 
playing  off  the  martial  phantom  which  sounded 
the  rebellious  slogan  of  Douglas  in  the  town  of 
that  name  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  what  you  speak, "  answered 
the  goodman  of  Hazelside. 

"  See,  then,"  said  the  knight,  "  that  you  do  not 
engage  yourself  in  the  affairs  of  other  people,  even 
if  your  conscience  warrants  that  you  are  in  no 
danger  from   your  own. " 

So  saying,  he  rode  off,  not  waiting  any  answer. 
The  ideas  which  filled  his  head  were  to  the  fol- 
lowing purpose. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  193 

"  I  know  not  how  it  is,  but  one  mist  seems  no 
sooner  to  clear  away  than  we  find  ourselves  en- 
gaged in  another.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
disguised  damsel  is  no  other  than  the  goddess  of 
Walton's  private  idolatry,  who  has  cost  him  and 
me  so  much  trouble,  and  some  certain  degree  of 
misunderstanding  during  these  last  weeks.  By 
my  honour!  this  fair  lady  is  right  lavish  in  the 
pardon  which  she  has  so  frankly  bestowed  upon 
me,  and  if  she  is  willing  to  be  less  complaisant  to 
Sir  John  de  Walton,  why  then  —  And  what  then  ? 
—  It  surely  does  not  infer  that  she  would  receive 
me  into  that  place  in  her  affections  from  which 
she  has  just  expelled  De  Walton  ?  Nor,  if  she 
did,  could  I  avail  myself  of  a  change  in  favour  of 
myself,  at  the  expense  of  my  friend  and  companion 
in  arms.  It  were  a  folly  even  to  dream  of  a  thing 
so  improbable.  But  with  respect  to  the  other 
business,  it  is  worth  serious  consideration.  Yon 
sexton  seems  to  have  kept  company  with  dead 
bodies,  until  he  is  unfit  for  the  society  of  the 
living;  and  as  to  that  Dickson  of  Hazelside,  as 
they  call  him,  there  is  no  attempt  against  the 
English  during  these  endless  wars  in  which  that 
man  has  not  been  concerned.  Had  my  life  de- 
pended upon  it,  I  could  not  have  prevented  myself 
from  intimating  my  suspicions  of  him,  let  him 
take  it  as  he  lists. " 

So  saying,  the  knight  spurred  his  horse,  and, 
arriving  at  Douglas  Castle  without  further  adven- 
ture, demanded,  in  a  tone  of  greater  cordiality 
than  he  had  of  late  used,  whether  he  could  be 
admitted  to  Sir  John  de  Walton,  having  some- 
thing of  consequence  to  report  to  him.  He  was 
immediately  ushered  into  an  apartment,  in  which 

13 


194  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

the  governor  was  seated  at  his  solitary  breakfast. 
Considering  the  terms  upon  which  they  had  lately 
stood,  the  governor  of  Douglas  Dale  was  somewhat 
surprised  at  the  easy  familiarity  with  which  De 
Valence  now  approached  him. 

"  Some  uncommon  news, "  said  Sir  John,  rather 
gravely,  "  have  brought  me  the  honour  of  Sir 
Aymer  de  Valence's  company. " 

"  It  is, "  answered  Sir  Aymer,  "  what  seems  of 
high  importance  to  your  interest.  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  and  therefore  I  were  to  blame  if  I  lost  a 
moment  in  communicating  it." 

"  I  shall  be  proud  to  profit  by  your  intelligence, " 
said  Sir  John  de  Walton. 

"  And  I  too, "  said  the  young  knight,  "  am  loth 
to  lose  the  credit  of  having  penetrated  a  mystery 
which  blinded  Sir  John  de  Walton.  At  the  same 
time,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  thought  capable  of 
jesting  with  you,  which  might  be  the  case  were  I, 
from  misapprehension,  to  give  a  false  key  to  this 
matter.  With  your  permission,  then,  we  will 
proceed  thus :  We  go  together  to  the  place  of 
Bertram  the  minstrel's  confinement.  I  have  in 
my  possession  a  scroll  from  the  young  person  who 
was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  Abbot  Jerome ;  it 
is  written  in  a  delicate  female  hand,  and  gives 
authority  to  the  minstrel  to  declare  the  purpose 
which  brought  them  to  this  vale  of  Douglas. " 

"  It  must  be  as  you  say, "  said  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  "  although  I  can  scarce  see  occasion  for 
adding  so  much  form  to  a  mystery  which  can  be 
expressed  in  such  small  compass. " 

Accordingly  the  two  knights,  a  warder  leading 
the  way,  proceeded  to  the  dungeon  to  which  the 
minstrel  had  been  removed. 


CHAPTEK  XIII. 

The  doors  of  the  stronghold,  being  undone,  dis- 
played a  dungeon  such  as  in  those  days  held  vic- 
tims hopeless  of  escape,  but  in  which  the  ingenious 
knave  of  modern  times  would  scarcely  have 
deigned  to  remain  many  hours.  The  huge  rings 
by  which  the  fetters  were  soldered  together,  and 
attached  to  the  human  body,  were,  when  examined 
minutely,  found  to  be  clenched  together  by  riveting 
so  very  thin,  that  when  rubbed  with  corrosive 
acid,  or  patiently  ground  with  a  bit  of  sandstone, 
the  hold  of  the  fetters  upon  each  other  might  be 
easily  forced  asunder,  and  the  purpose  of  them 
entirely  frustrated.  The  locks  also,  large,  and 
apparently  very  strong,  were  so  coarsely  made, 
that  an  artist  of  small  ingenuity  could  easily  con- 
trive to  get  the  better  of  their  fastenings  upon 
the  same  principle.  The  daylight  found  its  way 
to  the  subterranean  dungeon  only  at  noon,  and 
through  a  passage  which  was  purposely  made  tor- 
tuous, so  as  to  exclude  the  rays  of  the  sun,  while 
it  presented  no  obstacle  to  wind  or  rain.  The 
doctrine  that  a  prisoner  was  to  be  esteemed  inno- 
cent until  he  should  be  found  guilty  by  his  peers 
was  not  understood  in  those  days  of  brute  force, 
and  he  was  only  accommodated  with  a  lamp  or 
other  alleviation  of  his  misery,  if  his  demeanour 
was  quiet,  and  he  appeared  disposed  to  give  his 
jailer  no  trouble  by  attempting  to  make  his  escape. 


196  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Such  a  cell  of  confinement  was  that  of  Bertram, 
whose  moderation  of  temper  and  patience  had 
nevertheless  procured  for  him  such  mitigations  of 
his  fate  as  the  warder  could  grant.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  carry  into  his  cell  the  old  book,  in  the 
perusal  of  which  he  found  an  amusement  of  his 
solitude,  together  with  writing-materials,  and  such 
other  helps  towards  spending  his  time  as  were  con- 
sistent with  his  ahode  in  the  bosom  of  the  rock, 
and  the  degree  of  information  with  which  his 
minstrel  craft  had  possessed  him.  He  raised  his 
head  from  the  table  as  the  knights  entered,  while 
the  governor  observed  to  the  young  knight :  — 

"  As  you  seem  to  think  yourself  possessed  of  the 
secret  of  this  prisoner,  I  leave  it  to  you.  Sir 
Aymer  de  Valence,  to  bring  it  to  light  in  the 
manner  which  you  shall  judge  most  expedient. 
If  the  man  or  his  son  have  suffered  unnecessary 
hardship,  it  shall  be  my  duty  to  make  amends 
—  which,  I  suppose,  can  be  no  very  important 
matter. " 

Bertram  looked  up,  and  fixed  his  eyes  full  upon 
the  governor,  but  read  nothing  in  his  looks  which 
indicated  his  being  better  acquainted  than  before 
with  the  secret  of  his  imprisonment.  Yet,  upon 
turning  his  eye  towards  Sir  Aymer,  his  counte- 
nance evidently  lighted  up,  and  the  glance  which 
passed  between  them  was  one  of  intelligence. 

"  You  have  my  secret  then, "  said  he,  "  and  you 
know  who  it  is  that  passes  under  the  name  of 
Augustine  ? " 

Sir  Aymer  exchanged  with  him  a  look  of  acqui- 
escence ;  while  the  eyes  of  the  governor,  glancing 
wildly  from  the  prisoner  to  the  Knight  of  Valence, 
exclaimed,  — 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  197 

"  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  as  you  are  belted  knight 
and  Christian  man,  as  you  have  honour  to  pre- 
serve on  earth  and  a  soul  to  rescue  after  death,  I 
charge  you  to  tell  me  the  meaning  of  this  mystery ! 
It  may  be  that  you  conceive,  with  truth,  that  you 
have  subject  of  complaint  against  me.  If  so,  I 
will  satisfy  you  as  a  knight  may. " 

The  minstrel  spoke  at  the  same  moment. 

"  I  charge  this  knight, "  he  said,  "  by  his  vow  of 
chivalry,  that  he  do  not  divulge  any  secret  belong- 
ing to  a  person  of  honour  and  of  character,  unless 
he  has  positive  assurance  that  it  is  done  entirely 
by  that  person's  own  consent." 

"  Let  this  note  remove  your  scruples, "  said  Sir 
Aymer,  putting  the  scroll  into  the  hands  of  the 
minstrel ;  "  and  for  you.  Sir  John  de  Walton,  far 
from  retaining  the  least  feeling  of  any  misunder- 
standing which  may  have  existed  between  us,  I 
am  disposed  entirely  to  bury  it  in  forgetfulness,  as 
having  arisen  out  of  a  series  of  mistakes  which  no 
mortal  could  have  comprehended.  And  do  not  be 
offended,  my  dear  Sir  John,  when  I  protest,  on  my 
knightly  faith,  that  I  pity  the  pain  which  I  think 
this  scroll  is  likely  to  give  you,  and  that,  if  my 
utmost  efforts  can  be  of  the  least  service  to  you  in 
unravelling  this  tangled  skein,  I  will  contribute 
them  with  as  much  earnestness  as  ever  I  did  aught 
in  my  life.  This  faithful  minstrel  will  now  see 
that  he  can  have  no  difficulty  in  yielding  up  a 
secret  which  I  doubt  not,  but  for  the  writing  I 
have  just  put  into  his  hands,  he  would  have  con- 
tinued to  keep  with  unshaken  fidelity. " 

Sir  Aymer  now  placed  in  De  Walton's  hand  a 
note,  in  which  he  had,  ere  he  left  St.  Bride's 
convent,   signified  his  own  interpretation  of   the 


198  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

mystery ;  and  the  governor  had  scarcely  read  the 
name  it  contained,  before  the  same  name  was  pro- 
nounced aloud  by  Bertram,  who  at  the  same  mo- 
ment handed  to  the  governor  the  scroll  which  he 
had  received  from  the  Knight  of  Valence. 

The  white  plume  which  floated  over  the  knight's 
cap  of  maintenance,  which  was  worn  as  a  head- 
piece within  doors,  was  not  more  pale  in  com- 
plexion than  was  the  knight  himself  at  the 
unexpected  and  surprising  information,  that  the 
lady  who  was,  in  chivalrous  phrase,  empress  of 
his  thoughts,  and  commander  of  his  actions,  and 
to  whom,  even  in  less  fantastic  times,  he  must 
have  owed  the  deepest  gratitude  for  the  generous 
election  which  she  had  made  in  his  favour,  was 
the  same  person  whom  he  had  threatened  with 
personal  violence,  and  subjected  to  hardships  and 
affronts  which  he  would  not  willingly  have  be- 
stowed even  upon  the  meanest  of  her  sex. 

Yet  Sir  John  de  Walton  seemed  at  first  scarcely 
to  comprehend  the  numerous  ill  consequences 
which  might  probably  follow  this  unhappy  com- 
plication of  mistakes.  He  took  the  paper  from 
the  minstrel's  hand,  and  while  his  eye,  assisted 
by  the  lamp,  wandered  over  the  characters  with- 
out apparently  their  conveying  any  distinct  im- 
pression to  his  understanding,  De  Valence  even 
became  alarmed  that  he  was  about  to  lose  his 
faculties. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  sir,"  he  said,  "be  a  man, 
and  support  with  manly  steadiness  these  unex- 
pected occurrences  —  I  would  fain  think  they  will 
reach  to  nothing  else  —  which  the  wit  of  man 
could  not  have  prevented.  This  fair  lady,  I  would 
fain  hope,  cannot  be  much  hurt  or  deeply  offended 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  199 

by  a  train  of  circumstances,  the  natural  conse- 
quence of  your  anxiety  to  discharge  perfectly  a 
duty  upon  which  must  depend  the  accomplishment 
of  all  the  hopes  she  had  permitted  you  to  enter- 
tain. In  God's  name,  rouse  up,  sir!  Let  it  not 
be  said  that  an  apprehended  frown  of  a  fair  lady 
hath  damped  to  such  a  degree  the  courage  of  the 
boldest  knight  in  England;  be  what  men  have 
called  you,  'Walton  the  Unwavering ; '  in  Heaven's 
name,  let  us  at  least  see  that  the  lady  is  indeed 
offended,  before  we  conclude  that  she  is  irrecon- 
cilably so.  To  whose  fault  are  we  to  ascribe  the 
source  of  all  these  errors  ?  Surely,  with  all  due 
respect,  to  the  caprice  of  the  lady  herself,  which 
has  engendered  such  a  nest  of  mistakes.  Think  of 
it  as  a  man,  and  as  a  soldier.  Suppose  that  you 
yourself,  or  I,  desirous  of  proving  the  fidelity  of 
our  sentinels,  or  for  any  other  reason,  good  or  bad, 
attempted  to  enter  this  Dangerous  Castle  of  Doug- 
las without  giving  the  password  to  the  warders, 
would  we  be  entitled  to  blame  those  upon  duty  if, 
not  knowing  our  persons,  they  manfully  refused 
us  entrance,  made  us  prisoners,  and  mishandled  us 
while  resisting  our  attempt,  in  terms  of  the  orders 
which  we  ourselves  had  imposed  upon  them? 
What  is  there  that  makes  a  difference  between 
such  a  sentinel  and  yourself,  John  de  Walton,  in 
this  curious  affair,  which,  by  Heaven!  would 
rather  form  a  gay  subject  for  the  minstrelsy  of  this 
excellent  bard  than  the  theme  of  a  tragic  lay? 
Come!  look  not  thus.  Sir  John  de  Walton.  Be 
angry,  if  you  will,  with  the  lady  who  has  com- 
mitted such  a  piece  of  folly,  or  with  me  who  have 
rode  up  and  down  nearly  all  night  on  a  fool's 
errand,  and  spoiled  my  best  horse,  in  absolute  un- 


20O  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

certainty  how  I  shall  get  another  till  my  uncle  of 
Pembroke  and  I  shall  be  reconciled ;  or,  lastly,  if 
you  desire  to  be  totally  absurd  in  your  wrath, 
direct  it  against  this  worthy  minstrel  on  account 
of  his  rare  fidelity,  and  punish  him  for  that  for 
which  he  better  deserves  a  chain  of  gold.  Let 
passion  out,  if  you  will ;  but  chase  this  desponding 
gloom  from  the  brow  of  a  man  and  a  belted 
knight. " 

Sir  John  de  Walton  made  an  effort  to  speak, 
and  succeeded  with  some  difficulty. 

"  Aymer  de  Valence, "  he  said,  "  in  irritating  a 
madman  you  do  but  sport  with  your  own  life," 
and  then  remained  silent. 

"  I  am  glad  you  can  say  so  much, "  replied  his 
friend ;  "  for  I  was  not  jesting  when  I  said  I  would 
rather  that  you  were  at  variance  with  me,  than 
that  you  laid  the  whole  blame  on  yourself.  It 
would  be  courteous,  I  think,  to  set  this  minstrel 
instantly  at  liberty.  Meantime,  for  his  lady's 
sake,  I  will  entreat  him,  in  all  honour,  to  be  our 
guest  till  the  Lady  Augusta  de  Berkely  shall  do 
us  the  same  honour,  and  to  assist  us  in  our  search 
after  her  place  of  retirement.  —  Good  minstrel, " 
he  continued,  "  you  hear  what  I  say,  and  you  will 
not,  I  suppose,  be  surprised  that,  in  all  honour 
and  kind  usage,  you  find  yourself  detained  for  a 
short  space  in  this  Castle  of  Douglas  ? " 

"  You  seem,  Sir  Knight, "  replied  the  minstrel, 
"  not  so  much  to  keep  your  eye  upon  the  right  of 
doing  what  you  should  as  to  possess  the  might  of 
doing  what  you  would.  I  must  necessarily  be 
guided  by  your  advice,  since  you  have  the  power 
to  make  it  a  command. " 

"  And  I  trust, "   continued  De   Valence,  "  that 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  201 

when  your  mistress  and  you  again  meet,  we  shall 
have  the  benefit  of  your  intercession  for  anything 
which  we  may  have  done  to  displeasure  her,  con- 
sidering that  the  purpose  of  our  action  was  exactly 
the  reverse. " 

"  Let  me, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton,  "  say  a  single 
word.  I  will  offer  thee  a  chain  of  gold,  heavy 
enough  to  bear  down  the  weight  of  these  shackles, 
as  a  sign  of  regret  for  having  condemned  thee  to 
suffer  so  many  indignities. " 

"Enough  said.  Sir  John,"  said  De  Valence; 
"  let  us  promise  no  more  till  this  good  minstrel 
shall  see  some  sign  of  performance.  Follow  me  this 
way,  and  I  will  tell  thee  in  private  of  other  tidings 
which  it  is  important  that  you  should  know.  " 

So  saying,  he  withdrew  De  Walton  from  the 
dungeon,  and  sending  for  the  old  knight.  Sir 
Philip  de  Montenay,  already  mentioned,  who  acted 
as  seneschal  of  the  castle,  he  commanded  that  the 
minstrel  should  be  enlarged  from  the  dungeon, 
well  looked  to  in  other  respects,  yet  prohibited, 
though  with  every  mark  of  civility,  from  leaving 
the  castle  without  a  trusty  attendant. 

"  And  now.  Sir  John  de  Walton, "  he  said,  "  me- 
thinks  you  are  a  little  churlish  in  not  ordering  me 
some  breakfast,  after  I  have  been  all  night  engaged 
in  your  affairs;  and  a  cup  of  muscadel  would,  I 
think,  be  no  bad  induction  to  a  full  consideration 
of  this  perplexed  matter. " 

"  Thou  knowest, "  answered  De  Walton,  "  that 
thou  mayst  call  for  what  thou  wilt,  provided 
always  thou  tellest  me,  without  loss  of  time,  what 
else  thou  knowest  respecting  the  will  of  the  lady, 
against  whom  we  have  all  sinned  so  grievously  — 
and  I,  alas,  beyond  hope  of  forgiveness !  "  • 


202  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  Trust  me,  I  hope, "  said  the  Knight  of  Valence, 
"  the  good  lady  bears  me  no  malice,  as  indeed  she 
has  expressly  renounced  any  ill-will  against  me. 
The  words,  you  see,  are  as  plain  as  you  yourself 
may  read  —  *  The  lady  pardons  poor  Aymer  de 
Valence,  and  willingly,  for  having  been  involved 
in  a  mistake,  to  which  she  herself  led  the  way ; 
she  herself  will  at  all  times  be  happy  to  meet 
with  him  as  an  acquaintance,  and  never  to  think 
further  of  these  few  days'  history,  except  as  matter 
of  mirth  and  ridicule. '  So  it  is  expressly  written 
and  set  down. " 

"  Yes, "  replied  Sir  John  de  Walton,  "  but  see 
you  not  that  her  offending  lover  is  expressly  ex- 
cluded from  the  amnesty  granted  to  the  lesser 
offender?  Mark  you  not  the  concluding  para- 
graph ?  "  He  took  the  scroll  with  a  trembling 
hand,  and  read  with  a  discomposed  voice  its  closing 
words.  "It  is  even  so:  *A11  former  connection 
must  henceforth  be  at  an  end  between  him  and 
the  supposed  Augustine. '  Explain  to  me  how 
the  reading  of  these  words  is  reconcilable  to  any- 
thing but  their  plain  sense  of  condemnation  and 
forfeiture  of  contract,  implying  destruction  of  the 
hopes  of  Sir  John  de  Walton  ? " 

"  You  are  somewhat  an  older  man  than  I,  Sir 
Knight, "  answered  De  Valence,  "  and,  I  will 
grant,  by  far  the  wiser  and  more  experienced; 
yet  I  will  uphold  that  there  is  no  adopting  the 
interpretation  which  you  seem  to  have  affixed  in 
your  mind  to  this  letter,  without  supposing  the 
preliminary,  that  the  fair  writer  was  distracted  in 
her  understanding  —  nay,  never  start,  look  wildly, 
or  lay  your  hand  on  your  sword,  I  do  not  affirm 
this  is  the  case.     I  say  again,  that  no  woman  in 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  203 

her  senses  would  have  pardoned  a  common  ac- 
quaintance for  his  behaving  to  her  with  unin- 
tentional disrespect  and  unkindness,  during  the 
currency  of  a  certain  masquerade,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  sternly  and  irrevocably  broke  off  with  the 
lover  to  whom  her  troth  was  plighted,  although 
his  error  in  joining  in  the  offence  was  neither 
grosser  nor  more  protracted  than  that  of  the  per- 
son indifferent  to  her  love. " 

"  Do  not  blaspheme, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton ; 
"  and  forgive  me,  if,  in  justice  to  truth  and  to  the 
angel  whom  I  fear  I  have  forfeited  for  ever,  I  point 
out  to  you  the  difference  which  a  maiden  of  dig- 
nity and  of  feeling  must  make  between  an  offence 
towards  her,  committed  by  an  ordinary  acquain- 
tance, and  one  of  precisely  the  same  kind,  offered 
by  a  person  who  is  bound  by  the  most  undeserved 
preference,  by  the  most  generous  benefits,  and  by 
everything  which  can  bind  human  feeling,  to  think 
and  reflect  ere  he  becomes  an  actor  in  any  case  in 
which  it  is  possible  for  her  to  be  concerned. " 

"  Now,  by  mine  honour, "  said  Aymer  de  Valence, 
"  I  am  glad  to  hear  thee  make  some  attempt  at  rea- 
son, although  it  is  but  an  unreasonable  kind  of 
reason  too,  since  its  object  is  to  destroy  thine  own 
hopes,  and  argue  away  thine  own  chance  of  happi- 
ness ;  but  if  I  have,  in  the  progress  of  this  affair, 
borne  me  sometimes  towards  thee,  as  to  give  not 
only  the  governor,  but  even  the  friend,  some  cause 
of  displeasure,  I  will  make  it  up  to  thee  now, 
John  de  Walton,  by  trying  to  convince  thee  in 
spite  of  thine  own  perverse  logic.  But  here  comes 
the  muscadel  and  the  breakfast.  Wilt  thou  take 
some  refreshment  ?  —  or  shall  we  go  on  without 
the  spirit  of  muscadel  ?  " 


204  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"For  Heaven's  sake,"  replied  De  Walton,  "do 
as  thou  wilt,  so  thou  make  me  clear  of  thy  well- 
intended  babble." 

"  Nay,  thou  shalt  not  brawl  me  out  of  my  powers 
of  argument,"  said  De  Valence,  laughing,  and 
helping  himself  to  a  brimming  cup  of  wine ;  "  if 
thou  acknowledgest  thyself  conquered,  I  am  con- 
tented to  give  the  victory  to  the  inspiring  strength 
of  the  jovial  liquor. " 

"  Do  as  thou  listest, "  said  De  Walton,  "  but 
make  an  end  of  an  argument  which  thou  canst  not 
comprehend. " 

"  I  deny  the  charge, "  answered  the  younger 
knight,  wiping  his  lips,  after  having  finished  his 
draught ;  "  and  listen,  Walton  the  Warlike,  to  a 
chapter  in  the  history  of  women,  in  which  thou 
art  more  unskilled  than  I  would  wish  thee  to  be. 
Thou  canst  not  deny  that,  be  it  right  or  wrong, 
thy  Lady  Augusta  hath  ventured  more  forward 
with  you  than  is  usual  upon  the  sea  of  affection ; 
she  boldly  made  thee  her  choice,  while  thou  wert 
as  yet  known  to  her  only  as  a  flower  of  English 
chivalry  —  faith,  and  I  respect  her  for  her  frank- 
ness —  but  it  was  a  choice  which  the  more  cold  of 
her  own  sex  might  perhaps  claim  occasion  to  term 
rash  and  precipitate.  —  Nay,  be  not,  I  pray  thee, 
offended  —  I  am  far  from  thinking  or  saying  so : 
on  the  contrary,  I  will  uphold  with  my  lance  her 
selection  of  John  de  Walton  against  the  minions 
of  a  court,  to  be  a  wise  and  generous  choice,  and 
her  own  behaviour  as  alike  candid  and  noble.  But 
she  herself  is  not  unlikely  to  dread  unjust  mis- 
construction —  a  fear  of  which  may  not  impro- 
bably induce  her,  upon  any  occasion,  to  seize  some 
opportunity  of  showing  an  unwonted  and  unusual 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  205 

rigour  towards  her  lover,  in  order  to  balance  her 
having  extended  towards  him,  in  the  beginning  of 
their  intercourse,  somewhat  of  an  unusual  degree 
of  frank  encouragement.  Nay,  it  might  be  easy 
for  her  lover  so  far  to  take  part  against  himself, 
by  arguing  as  thou  dost  when  out  of  thy  senses, 
as  to  make  it  difficult  for  her  to  withdraw  from  an 
argument  which  he  himself  was  foolish  enough  to 
strengthen  ;  and  thus,  like  a  maiden  too  soon  taken 
at  her  first  nay-say,  she  shall  perhaps  be  allowed 
no  opportunity  of  bearing  herself  according  to  her 
real  feelings,  or  retracting  a  sentence  issued  with 
consent  of  the  party  whose  hopes  it  destroys. " 

"  I  have  heard  thee,  De  Valence, "  answered  the 
governor  of  Douglas  Dale ;  "  nor  is  it  difficult  for 
me  to  admit,  that  these  thy  lessons  may  serve  as 
a  chart  to  many  a  female  heart,  but  not  to  that  of 
Augusta  de  Berkely.  By  my  life,  I  say  I  would 
much  sooner  be  deprived  of  the  merit  of  those  few 
deeds  of  chivalry  which  thou  sayest  have  procured 
for  me  such  enviable  distinction,  than  I  would  act 
upon  them  with  the  insolence,  as  if  I  said  that 
my  place  in  the  lady's  bosom  was  too  firmly  fixed 
to  be  shaken  even  by  the  success  of  a  worthier 
man,  or  by  my  own  gross  failure,  in  respect  to  the 
object  of  my  attachment.  No,  herself  alone  shall 
have  power  to  persuade  me  that  even  goodness 
equal  to  that  of  an  interceding  saint  will  restore 
me  to  the  place  in  her  affections  which  I  have 
most  unworthily  forfeited  by  a  stupidity  only  to 
be  compared  to  that  of  brutes." 

"  If  you  are  so  minded,"  said  Aymer  de  Valence, 
"  I  have  only  one  word  more  —  forgive  me  if  I 
speak  it  peremptorily  —  the  lady,  as  you  say,  and 
say  truly,  must  be  the  final  arbitress  in  this  ques- 


2o6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

tion.  My  arguments  do  not  extend  to  insisting 
that  you  should  claim  her  hand,  whether  she  her- 
self will  or  no ;  but  to  learn  her  determination,  it 
is  necessary  that  you  should  find  out  where  she 
is,  of  which  I  am  unfortunately  not  able  to  inform 
you." 

"  How !  what  mean  you  ?  "  exclaimed  the  gover- 
nor, who  now  only  began  to  comprehend  the  extent 
of  his  misfortune.  "  Whither  hath  she  fled  ?  or 
with  whom  ? " 

"  She  is  fled,  for  what  I  know, "  said  De  Valence, 
"  in  search  of  a  more  enterprising  lover  than  one 
who  is  so  willing  to  interpret  every  air  of  frost  as 
a  killing  blight  to  his  hopes;  perhaps  she  seeks 
the  Black  Douglas,  or  some  such  hero  of  the 
Thistle,  to  reward,  with  her  lands,  her  lordships, 
and  beauty,  those  virtues  of  enterprise  and  courage 
of  which  John  de  Walton  was  at  one  time  thought 
possessed.  But,  seriously,  events  are  passing 
around  us  of  strange  import.  I  saw  enough  last 
night,  on  my  way  to  St.  Bride's,  to  make  me  sus- 
picious of  every  one.  I  sent  to  you  as  a  prisoner 
the  old  sexton  of  the  church  of  Douglas.  I  found 
him  contumacious  as  to  some  inquiries  which  I 
thought  it  proper  to  prosecute ;  but  of  this  more  at 
another  time.  The  escape  of  this  lady  adds  greatly 
to  the  difficulties  which  encircle  this  devoted 
castle. " 

"  Aymer  de  Valence,"  replied  De  Walton,  in  a 
solemn  and  animated  tone,  "  Douglas  Castle  shall 
be  defended,  as  we  have  hitherto  been  able,  with 
the  aid  of  Heaven,  to  spread  from  its  battlements 
the  broad  banner  of  St.  George.  Come  of  me  what 
list  during  my  life,  I  will  die  the  faithful  lover  of 
Augusta  de  Berkely,   even  although  I  no  longer 


CASTLE  DANGEHOUS.  207 

live  as  her  chosen  knight.  There  are  cloisters 
and  hermitages  " 

"  Ay,  marry  are  there, "  replied  Sir  Aymer  ; 
"  and  girdles  of  hemp,  moreover,  and  beads  of  oak  ; 
but  all  these  we  omit  in  our  reckonings,  till  we 
discover  where  the  Lady  Augusta  is,  and  what  she 
purposes  to  do  in  this  matter. " 

"  You  say  well, "  replied  De  Walton.  "  Let  us 
hold  counsel  together  by  what  means  we  shall,  if 
possible,  discover  the  lady's  too  hasty  retreat,  by 
which  she  has  done  me  great  wrong;  I  mean  if 
she  supposed  her  commands  would  not  have  been 
fully  obeyed,  had  she  honoured  with  them  the 
governor  of  Douglas  Dale,  or  any  who  are  under 
his  command. " 

"  Now, "  replied  De  Valence,  "  you  again  speak 
like  a  true  son  of  chivalry.  With  your  permis- 
sion, I  would  summon  this  minstrel  to  our  pre- 
sence. His  fidelity  to  his  mistress  has  been 
remarkable ;  and,  as  matters  stand  now,  we  must 
take  instant  measures  for  tracing  the  place  of  her 
retreat. " 


CHAPTEE  XIV.  , 

The  way  is  long,  my  children,  long  and  rough  — 
The  moors  are  dreary  and  the  woods  are  dark ; 
But  he  that  creeps  from  cradle  on  to  grave, 
Unskilled  save  in  the  velvet  course  of  fortune. 
Hath  missed  the  discipline  of  noble  hearts. 

Old  Play, 

It  was  yet  early  in  the  day,  when,  after  the  gover- 
nor and  De  Valence  had  again  summoned  Bertram 
to  their  councils,  the  garrison  of  Douglas  was 
mustered,  and  a  number  of  small  parties,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  already  despatched  by  De  Valence 
from  Hazelside,  were  sent  out  to  scour  the  woods 
in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  with  strict  injunctions 
to  treat  them,  if  overtaken,  with  the  utmost  re- 
spect, and  to  obey  their  commands,  keeping  an 
eye,  however,  on  the  place  where  they  might  take 
refuge.  To  facilitate  this  result,  some  who  were 
men  of  discretion  were  intrusted  with  the  secret 
who  the  supposed  pilgrim  and  the  fugitive  nun 
really  were.  The  whole  ground,  whether  forest  or 
moorland,  within  many  miles  of  Douglas  Castle, 
was  covered  and  traversed  by  parties,  whose 
anxiety  to  detect  the  fugitives  was  equal  to  the 
reward  for  their  safe  recovery,  liberally  offered  by 
De  Walton  and  De  Valence.  They  spared  not, 
meantime,  to  make  such  inquiries  in  all  directions 
as  might  bring  to  light  any  machinations  of  the 
Scottish  insurgents  which  might  be  on  foot  in 
those  wild  districts,   of  which,  as  we  have  said 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  209 

before,  De  Valence,  in  particular,  entertained 
strong  suspicions.  Their  instructions  were,  in 
case  of  finding  such,  to  proceed  against  the  persons 
engaged,  by  arrest  and  otherwise,  in  the  most 
rigorous  manner,  such  as  had  been  commanded  by 
De  Walton  himself  at  the  time  when  the  Black 
Douglas  and  his  accomplices  had  been  the  prin- 
cipal objects  of  his  wakeful  suspicions.  These  va- 
rious detachments  had  greatly  reduced  the  strength 
of  the  garrison ;  yet,  although  numerous,  alert, 
and  despatched  in  every  direction,  they  had  not 
the  fortune  either  to  fall  on  the  trace  of  the  Lady 
of  Berkely,  or  to  encounter  any  party  whatever  of 
the  insurgent  Scottish. 

Meanwhile  our  fugitives  had,  as  we  have  seen, 
set  out  from  the  convent  of  St.  Bride  under  the 
guidance  of  a  cavalier,  of  whom  the  Lady  Augusta 
knew  nothing  save  that  he  was  to  guide  their  steps 
in  a  direction  where  they  would  not  be  exposed  to 
the  risk  of  being  overtaken.  At  length  Margaret 
de  Hautlieu  herself  spoke  upon  the  subject. 

"  You  have  made  no  inquiry, "  she  said,  "  Lady 
Augusta,  whither  you  are  travelling,  or  under 
whose  charge,  although  methinks  it  should  much 
concern  you  to  know.  " 

"  Is  it  not  enough  for  me  to  be  aware, "  answered 
Lady  Augusta,  "  that  I  am  travelling,  kind  sister, 
under  the  protection  of  one  to  whom  you  yourself 
trust  as  to  a  friend ;  and  why  need  I  be  anxious  for 
any  further  assurance  of  my  safety  ?  " 

"  Simply, "  said  Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  "  because 
the  persons  with  whom,  from  national  as  well  as 
personal  circumstances,  I  stand  connected,  are  per- 
haps not  exactly  the  protectors  to  whom  you,  lady, 
can  with  such  perfect  safety  intrust  yourself. " 

14 


2IO  CASTLE  DANGEROUS 

"  In  what  sense, "  said  the  Lady  Augusta,  "  do 
you  use  these  words  ?  " 

"  Because, "  replied  Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  "  the 
Bruce,  the  Douglas,  Malcolm  Fleming,  and  others 
of  that  party,  although  they  are  incapable  of 
abusing  such  an  advantage  to  any  dishonourable 
purpose,  might  nevertheless,  under  a  strong  temp- 
tation, consider  you  as  an  hostage  thrown  into 
their  hands  by  Providence,  through  whom  they 
might  meditate  the  possibility  of  gaining  some 
benefit  to  their  dispersed  and  dispirited  party. " 

"  They  might  make  me, "  answered  the  Lady 
Augusta,  "  the  subject  of  such  a  treaty,  when  I 
was  dead,  but,  believe  me,  never  while  I  drew 
vital  breath.  Believe  me  also  that,  with  what- 
ever pain,  shame,  or  agony  I  would  again  deliver 
myself  up  to  the  power  of  De  Walton,  yes,  I 
would  rather  put  myself  in  his  hands  —  What 
do  I  say  ?  his  !  —  I  would  rather  surrender  my- 
self to  the  meanest  archer  of  my  native  country, 
than  combine  with  its  foes  to  work  mischief  to 
merry  England  —  my  own  England  —  that  country 
which  is  the  envy  of  every  other  country,  and 
the  pride  of  all  who  can  term  themselves  her 
natives ! " 

"  I  thought  that  your  choice  might  prove  so, " 
said  Lady  Margaret ;  "  and  since  you  have  honoured 
me  with  your  confidence,  gladly  would  I  provide 
for  your  liberty  by  placing  you  as  nearly  in  the 
situation  which  you  yourself  desire,  as  my  poor 
means  have  the  power  of  accomplishing.  In  half 
an  hour  we  shall  be  in  danger  of  being  taken  by 
the  English  parties,  which  will  be  instantly  dis- 
persed in  every  direction  in  quest  of  us.  Now 
take  notice,  lady,  I  know  a  place  in  which  I  can 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  211 

take  refuge  with  my  friends  and  cou»trymen,  those 
gallant  Scots,  who  have  never  even  in  this  dis- 
honoured age  bent  the  knee  to  Baal.  For  their 
honour,  their  nicety  of  honour,  I  could  in  other 
days  have  answered  with  my  own ;  but  of  late,  I 
am  bound  to  tell  you,  they  have  been  put  to  those 
trials  by  which  the  most  generous  affections  may 
be  soured,  and  driven  to  a  species  of  frenzy,  the 
more  wild  that  it  is  founded  originally  on  the 
noblest  feelings.  A  person  who  feels  himself 
deprived  of  his  natural  birthright,  denounced, 
exposed  to  confiscation  and  death,  because  he 
avouches  the  rights  of  his  king,  the  cause  of  his 
country,  ceases  on  his  part  to  be  nice  or  precise  in 
estimating  the  degree  of  retaliation  which  it  is 
lawful  for  him  to  exercise  in  the  requital  of  such 
injuries ;  and,  believe  me,  bitterly  should  I  lament 
having  guided  you  into  a  situation  which  you 
might  consider  afflicting  or  degrading. " 

"  In  a  word,  then, "  said  the  English  lady,  "  what 
is  it  you  apprehend  I  am  like  to  suffer  at  the 
hands  of  your  friends,  whom  I  must  be  excused  for 
terming  rebels  ?  " 

"  If, "  said  the  Sister  Ursula,  "  your  friends, 
whom  I  should  term  oppressors  and  tyrants,  take 
Our  land  and  our  lives,  seize  our  castles  and  con- 
fiscate our  property,  you  must  confess,  that  the 
rough  laws  of  war  indulge  mine  with  the  privilege 
of  retaliation.  There  can  be  no  fear  that  such 
men,  under  any  circumstances,  would  ever  exer- 
cise cruelty  or  insult  upon  a  lady  of  your  rank ; 
but  it  is  another  thing  to  calculate  that  they  will 
abstain  from  such  means  of  extorting  advantage 
from  your  captivity  as  are  common  in  warfare. 
You  would  not,  I  think,  wish  to  be  delivered  up 


212  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

to  the  English,  on  consideration  of  Sir  John  de 
Walton  surrendering  the  Castle  of  Douglas  to  its 
natural  lord;  yet,  were  you  in  the  hands  of  the 
Bruce  or  Douglas,  although  I  can  answer  for  your 
being  treated  with  all  the  respect  which  they  have 
the  means  of  showing,  yet  I  own,  their  putting 
you  at  such  a  ransom  might  be  by  no  means 
unlikely. " 

"  I  would  sooner  die, "  said  the  Lady  Berkely, 
"  than  have  my  name  mixed  up  in  a  treaty  so  dis- 
graceful ;  and  De  Walton's  reply  to  it  would,  I  am 
certain,  be  to  strike  the  head  from  the  messenger, 
and  throw  it  from  the  highest  tower  of  Douglas 
Castle. " 

"Where,  then,  lady,  would  you  now  go,"  said 
Sister  Ursula,  "  were  the  choice  in  your  power  ?  " 

"  To  my  own  castle, "  answered  Lady  Augusta, 
"  where,  if  necessary,  I  could  be  defended  even 
against  the  king  himself,  until  I  could  place  at 
least  my  person  under  the  protection  of  the 
Church. " 

"  In  that  case, "  replied  Margaret  de  Hautlieu, 
"  my  power  of  rendering  you  assistance  is  only 
precarious,  yet  it  comprehends  a  choice  which  I 
will  willingly  submit  to  your  decision,  notwith- 
standing I  thereby  subject  the  secrets  of  my  friends 
to  some  risk  of  being  discovered  and  frustrated. 
But  the  confidence  which  you  have  placed  in  me 
imposes  on  me  the  necessity  of  committing  to  you 
a  like  trust.  It  rests  with  you,  whether  you  will 
proceed  with  me  to  the  secret  rendezvous  of  the 
Douglas  and  his  friends,  which  I  may  be  blamed 
for  making  known,  and  there  take  your  chance  of 
the  reception  which  you  may  encounter,  since  I 
cannot  warrant  you  of   anything  save  honourable 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  213 

treatment,  so  far  as  your  person  is  concerned ;  or, 
if  you  should  think  this  too  hazardous,  make  the 
best  of  your  way  at  once  for  the  Border ;  in  which 
last  case  I  will  proceed  as  far  as  I  can  with  you 
towards  the  English  line,  and  then  leave  you  to 
pursue  your  journey,  and  to  obtain  a  guard  and  a 
conductor  among  your  own  countrymen.  Mean- 
time, it  will  be  well  for  me  if  I  escape  being  taken, 
since  the  abbot  would  not  shrink  at  inflicting  upon 
me  the  death  due  to  an  apostate  nun. " 

"  Such  cruelty,  my  sister,  could  hardly  be  in- 
flicted upon  one  who  had  never  taken  the  religious 
vows,  and  who  still,  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
Church,  had  a  right  to  make  a  choice  between 
the  world  and  the  veil. " 

"  Such  choice  as  they  gave  their  gallant  vic- 
tims, "  said  Lady  Margaret,  "  who  have  fallen  into 
English  hands  during  these  merciless  wars,  —  such 
choice  as  they  gave  to  Wallace,  the  Champion  of 
Scotland,  —  such  as  they  gave  to  Hay,  the  gentle 
and  the  free,  —  to  Sommerville,  the  flower  of 
chivalry,  —  and  to  Athol,  the  blood  relation  of 
King  Edward  himself  —  all  of  whom  were  as  much 
traitors,  under  which  name  they  were  executed,  as 
Margaret  de  Hautlieu  is  an  apostate  nun,  and 
subject  to  the  rule  of  the  cloister. " 

She  spoke  with  some  eagerness,  for  she  felt  as 
if  the  English  lady  imputed  to  her  more  coldness 
than  she  was,  in  such  doubtful  circumstances, 
conscious  of  manifesting. 

"  And  after  all, "  she  proceeded,  "  you.  Lady 
Augusta  de  Berkely,  what  do  you  venture,  if  you 
run  the  risk  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  your 
lover  ?  What  dreadful  risk  do  you  incur  ?  You 
need  not,  methinks,  fear  being  immured  between 


214  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

four  walls,  with  a  basket  of  bread  and  a  cruise  of 
water,  which,  were  I  seized,  would  be  the  only- 
support  allowed  to  me  for  the  short  space  that  my 
life  would  be  prolonged.  Nay,  even  were  you  to 
be  betrayed  to  the  rebel  Scots,  as  you  call  them,  a 
captivity  among  the  hills,  sweetened  by  the  hope 
of  deliverance,  and  rendered  tolerable  by  all  the 
alleviations  which  the  circumstances  of  your  cap- 
tors allowed  them  the  means  of  supplying,  were 
not,  I  think,  a  lot  so  very  hard  to  endure. " 

"  Nevertheless, "  answered  the  Lady  of  Berkely, 
"  frightful  enough  it  must  have  appeared  to  me, 
since,  to  fly  from  such,  I  threw  myself  upon  your 
guidance. " 

"  And  whatever  you  think  or  suspect, "  answered 
the  novice,  "  I  am  as  true  to  you  as  ever  was  one 
maiden  to  another;  and  as  sure  as  ever  Sister 
Ursula  was  true  to  her  vows,  although  they  were 
never  completed,  so  will  I  be  faithful  to  your 
secret,  even  at  the  risk  of  betraying  my  own. " 

"  Hearken,  lady !  "  she  said,  suddenly  pausing. 
"  Do  you  hear  that  ?  " 

The  sound  to  which  she  alluded  was  the  same 
imitation  of  the  cry  of  an  owlet  which  the  lady 
had  before  heard  under  the  walls  of  the  convent 

"  These  sounds, "  said  Margaret  de  Hautlieu, 
"  announce  that  one  is  near  more  able  than  I  am  to 
direct  us  in  this  matter.  I  must  go  forward  and 
speak  with  him ;  and  this  man,  our  guide,  will 
remain  by  you  for  a  little  space;  nor,  when  he 
quits  your  bridle,  need  you  wait  for  any  other 
signal,  but  ride  forward  on  the  woodland  path, 
and  obey  the  advice  and  directions  which  will 
be  given  you. " 

"  Stay !   stay !   Sister  Ursula !  "    cried  the  Lady 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  215 

de  Berkely.  "  Abandon  me  not  in  this  moment 
of  uncertainty  and  distress !  " 

"  It  must  be,  for  the  sake  of  both, "  returned 
Margaret  de  Hautlieu.  "  I  also  am  in  uncertainty 
—  I  also  am  in  distress  —  and  patience  and  obe- 
dience are  the  only  virtues  which  can  save  us 
both.  " 

So  saying,  she  struck  her  horse  with  the  riding- 
rod,  and,  moving  briskly  forward,  disappeared 
among  the  boughs  of  a  tangled  thicket.  The  Lady 
of  Berkely  would  have  followed  her  companion, 
but  the  cavalier  who  attended  them  laid  a  strong 
hand  upon  the  bridle  of  her  palfrey,  with  a  look 
which  implied  that  he  would  not  permit  her  to 
proceed  in  that  direction.  Terrified,  therefore, 
though  she  could  not  exactly  state  a  reason  why, 
the  Lady  of  Berkely  remained  with  her  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  thicket,  instinctively,  as  it  were,  expecting 
to  see  a  band  of  English  archers,  or  rugged  Scot- 
tish insurgents,  issue  from  its  tangled  skirts,  and 
doubtful  which  she  should  have  most  considered 
as  the  objects  of  her  terror.  In  the  distress  of  her 
uncertainty  she  again  attempted  to  move  forward, 
but  the  stern  check  which  her  attendant  again 
bestowed  upon  her  bridle  proved  sufficiently  that 
in  restraining  her  wislies  the  stranger  was  not 
likely  to  spare  the  strength  which  he  certainly 
possessed.  At  length,  after  some  ten  minutes  had 
elapsed,  the  cavalier  withdrew  his  hand  from  her 
bridle,  and  pointing  with  his  lance  towards  the 
thicket,  through  which  there  winded  a  narrow, 
scarce  visible  path,  seemed  to  intimate  to  the  lady 
that  her  road  lay  in  that  direction,  and  that  he 
would  no  longer  prevent  her  following  it. 

"  Do  you  not  go  with  me  ? "  said  the  lady,  who, 


2i6  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

having  been  accustomed  to  this  man's  company 
since  they  left  the  convent,  had  by  degrees  come  to 
look  upon  him  as  a  sort  of  protector.  He,  how- 
ever, gravely  shook  his  head,  as  if  to  excuse  com- 
plying with  a  request  which  it  was  not  in  his 
power  to  grant,  and,  turning  his  steed  in  a  diffe- 
rent direction,  retired  at  a  pace  which  soon  carried 
him  from  her  sight.  She  had  then  no  alternative 
but  to  take  the  path  of  the  thicket  which  had  been 
followed  by  Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  nor  did  she 
pursue  it  long  before  coming  in  sight  of  a  singular 
spectacle. 

The  trees  grew  wider  as  the  lady  advancerl,  and 
when  she  entered  the  thicket  she  perceived  that, 
though  hedged  in  as  it  were  by  an  enclosure  of 
copsewood,  it  was  in  the  interior  altogether  occu- 
pied by  a  few  of  the  magnificent  trees,  such  as 
seemed  to  have  been  the  ancestors  of  the  forest, 
and  which,  though  few  in  number,  were  sufficient 
to  overshade  all  the  unoccupied  ground,  by  the 
great  extent  of  their  complicated  branches.  Be- 
neath one  of  these  lay  stretched  something  of  a 
grey  colour,  which,  as  it  drew  itself  together, 
exhibited  the  figure  of  a  man  sheathed  in  armour, 
but  strangely  accoutred,  and  in  a  manner  so  bizarre 
as  to  indicate  some  of  the  wild  fancies  peculiar  to 
the  knights  of  that  period.  His  armour  was  inge- 
niously painted,  so  as  to  represent  a  skeleton ;  the 
ribs  being  constituted  by  the  corselet  and  its  back- 
piece.  The  shield  represented  an  owl  with  its 
wings  spread,  a  device  which  was  repeated  upon 
the  helmet,  which  appeared  to  be  completely 
covered  by  an  image  of  the  same  bird  of  ill  omen. 
But  that  which  was  particularly  calculated  to  ex- 
cite surprise  in  the  spectator  was  the  great  height 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  217 

and  thinness  of  the  figure,  which,  as  it  arose  from 
the  ground  and  placed  itself  in  an  erect  posture, 
seemed  rather  to  resemble  an  apparition  in  the  act 
of  extricating  itself  from  the  grave,  than  that  of 
an  ordinary  man  rising  upon  his  feet.  The  horse, 
too,  upon  which  the  lady  rode,  started  back,  and 
snorted,  either  at  the  sudden  change  of  posture  of 
this  ghastly  specimen  of  chivalry,  or  disagreeably 
affected  by  some  odour  which  accompanied  his 
presence.  The  lady  herself  manifested  some  alarm, 
for  although  she  did  not  utterly  believe  she  was 
in  the  presence  of  a  supernatural  being,  yet,  among 
all  the  strange  half-frantic  disguises  of  chivalry, 
this  was  assuredly  the  most  uncouth  which  she 
had  ever  seen;  and  considering  how  often  the 
knights  of  the  period  pushed  their  dreamy  fancies 
to  the  borders  of  insanity,  it  seemed  at  best  no 
very  safe  adventure  to  meet  one  accoutred  in  the 
emblems  of  the  King  of  Terrors  himself,  alone,  and 
in  the  midst  of  a  wild  forest.  Be  the  knight's 
character  and  purposes  what  they  might,  she 
resolved,  however,  to  accost  him  in  the  language 
and  manner  observed  in  romances  upon  such  occa- 
sions, in  the  hope  even  that  if  he  were  a  madman 
he  might  prove  a  peaceable  one,  and  accessible  to 
civility. 

"  Sir  Knight, "  she  said,  in  as  firm  a  tone  as  she 
could  assume,  "  right  sorry  am  I  if,  by  my  hasty 
approach,  I  have  disturbed  your  solitary  medita- 
tions. My  horse,  sensible  I  think  of  the  presence 
of  yours,  brought  me  hither,  without  my  being 
aware  whom  or  what  I  was  to  encounter. " 

"  I  am  one, "  answered  the  stranger,  in  a  solemn 
tone,  "  whom  few  men  seek  to  meet,  till  the  time 
comes  that  they  can  avoid  me  no  longer. " 


2i8  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  You  speak,  Sir  Knight, "  replied  the  Lady  de 
Berkely,  "  according  to  the  dismal  character  of 
which  it  has  pleased  you  to  assume  the  distinction. 
May  I  appeal  to  one  whose  exterior  is  so  formi- 
dable, for  the  purpose  of  requesting  some  directions 
to  guide  me  through  this  wild  wood ;  as,  for  in- 
stance, what  is  the  name  of  the  nearest  castle, 
town,  or  hostelry,  and  by  what  course  I  am  best 
likely  to  reach  such?" 

"It  is  a  singular  audacity, "  answered  the 
Knight  of  the  Tomb,  "  that  would  enter  into  con- 
versation with  him  who  is  termed  the  Inexorable, 
the  Unsparing,  and  the  Pitiless,  whom  even  the 
most  miserable  forbears  to  call  to  his  assistance, 
lest  his  prayers  should  be  too  soon  answ^ered. " 

"  Sir  Knight, "  replied  the  Lady  Augusta,  "  the 
character  which  you  have  assumed,  unquestionably 
for  good  reasons,  dictates  to  you  a  peculiar  course 
of  speech ;  but  although  your  part  is  a  sad  one,  it 
does  not,  I  should  suppose,  render  it  necessary  for 
you  to  refuse  those  acts  of  civility  to  which  you 
must  have  bound  yourself  in  taking  the  high  vows 
of  chivalry." 

"  If  you  will  trust  to  my  guidance, "  replied  the 
ghastly  figure,  "  there  is  only  one  condition  upon 
which  I  can  grant  you  the  information  which  you 
require ;  and  that  is,  that  you  follow  my  footsteps 
without  any  questions  asked  as  to  the  tendency 
of  our  journey. " 

"  I  suppose  I  must  submit  to  your  conditions, " 
she  answered,  "  if  you  are  indeed  pleased  to  take 
upon  yourself  the  task  of  being  my  guide.  In  my 
heart  I  conceive  you  to  be  one  of  the  unhappy 
gentlemen  of  Scotland,  who  are  now  in  arms,  as 
they  say,  for  the  defence  of  their  liberties.    A  rash 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  219 

undertaking  has  brought  me  within  the  sphere 
of  your  influence,  and  now  the  only  favour  I  have 
to  request  of  you,  against  whom  I  never  did  or 
planned  any  evil,  is  the  guidance  which  your 
knowledge  of  the  country  permits  you  easily  to 
afford  me  in  my  way  to  the  frontiers  of  England. 
Believe  that  what  I  may  see  of  your  haunts  or  of 
your  practices  shall  be  to  me  things  invisible,  as 
if  they  were  actually  concealed  by  the  sepulchre 
itself,  of  the  king  of  which  it  has  pleased  you  to 
assume  the  attributes;  and  if  a  sum  of  money, 
enough  to  be  the  ransom  of  a  wealthy  earl,  will 
purchase  such  a  favour  at  need,  such  a  ransom 
will  be  frankly  paid,  and  with  as  much  fidelity  as 
ever  it  was  rendered  by  a  prisoner  to  the  knight  by 
whom  he  was  taken.  Do  not  reject  me,  princely 
Bruce  —  noble  Douglas  —  if  indeed  it  is  to  either 
of  these  that  I  address  myself  in  this  my  last 
extremity  —  men  speak  of  both  as  fearful  enemies, 
but  generous  knights  and  faithful  friends.  Let  me 
entreat  you  to  remember  how  much  you  would  wish 
your  own  friends  and  connections  to  meet  with 
compassion  under  similar  circumstances,  at  the 
hands  of  the  knights  of  England. " 

"  And  have  they  done  so  ?  "  replied  the  knight, 
in  a  voice  more  gloomy  than  before,  "  or  do  you 
act  wisely,  while  imploring  the  protection  of  one 
whom  you  believe  to  be  a  true  Scottish  knight,  for 
no  other  reason  than  the  extreme  and  extravagant 
misery  of  his  appearance ;  —  is  it,  I  say,  well  or 
wise  to  remind  him  of  the  mode  in  which  the  lords 
of  England  have  treated  the  lovely  maidens  and 
the  high-born  dames  of  Scotland  ?  Have  not  their 
prison  cages  been  suspended  from  the  battlements 
of  castles,  that  their   captivity  might  be  kept  in 


220  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

view  of  every  base  burgher  who  should  desire  to 
look  upon  the  miseries  of  the  noblest  peeresses, 
yea,  even  the  Queen  of  Scotland  ?^  Is  this  a  recol- 
lection which  can  inspire  a  Scottish  knight  with 
compassion  towards  an  English  lady  ?  or  is  it  a 
thought  which  can  do  aught  but  swell  the  deeply 
sworn  hatred  of  Edward  Plantagenet,  the  author 
of  these  evils,  that  boils  in  every  drop  of  Scottish 
blood  which  still  feels  the  throb  of  life  ?  No ;  — 
it  is  all  you  can  expect,  if,  cold  and  pitiless  as 
the  sepulchre  I  represent,  I  leave  you  unassisted  in 
the  helpless  condition  in  which  you  describe  your- 
self to  be. " 

"  You  will  not  be  so  inhuman, "  replied  the 
lady :  "  in  doing  so,  you  must  surrender  every 
right  to  honest  fame,  which  you  have  won  either 
by  sword  or  by  lance.  You  must  surrender  every 
pretence  to  that  justice  which  affects  the  merit 
of  supporting  the  weak  against  the  strong.  You 
must  make  it  your  principle  to  avenge  the  wrongs 
and  tyranny  of  Edward  Plantagenet  upon  the 
dames  and  damosels  of  England,  who  have  neither 
access  to  his  councils,  nor  perhaps  give  him  their 
approbation  in  his  wars  against  Scotland. " 

"  It  would  not  then, "  said  the  Knight  of  the 
Sepulchre,  "  induce  you  to  depart  from  your  re- 
quest, should  I  tell  you  the  evils  to  which  you 
would  subject  yourself  should  we  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  English  troops,  and  should  they 
find  you  under  such  ill-omened  protection  as  my 
own?" 

"  Be  assured, "  said  the  lady,  "  the  consideration 

1  The  Queen  of  Robert  the  Bruce,  and  the  Countess  of  Buchan, 
by  whom,  as  one  of  Macduff's  descent,  he  was  crowned  at  Scone, 
were  secured  in  the  manner  described. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  221 

of  such  an  event  does  not  in  the  least  shake  my 
resolution  or  desire  of  confiding  in  your  protection. 
You  may  probably  know  who  I  am,  and  may  judge 
how  far  even  Edward  would  hold  himself  entitled 
to  extend  punishment  towards  me. " 

"  How  am  I  to  know  you, "  replied  the  ghastly 
cavalier,  "  or  your  circumstances  ?  They  must  be 
extraordinary  indeed,  if  they  could  form  a  check, 
either  of  justice  or  of  humanity,  upon  the  revenge- 
ful feelings  of  Edward.  All  who  know  him  are 
well  assured  that  it  is  no  ordinary  motive  that 
will  induce  him  to  depart  from  the  indulgence  of 
his  evil  temper.  But  be  it  as  it  may,  you,  lady, 
if  a  lady  you  be,  throw  yourself  as  a  burden  upon 
me,  and  I  must  discharge  myself  of  my  trust  as  I 
best  may;  for  this  purpose  you  must  be  guided 
implicitly  by  my  directions,  which  will  be  given 
after  the  fashion  of  those  of  the  spiritual  world, 
being  intimations,  rather  than  detailed  instruc- 
tions, for  your  conduct,  and  expressed  rather  by 
commands  than  by  any  reason  or  argument.  In 
this  way  it  is  possible  that  I  may  be  of  service  to 
you;  in  any  other  case,  it  is  most  likely  that  I 
may  fail  you  at  need,  and  melt  from  your  side  like 
a  phantom  which  dreads  the  approach  of  day. " 

"  You  cannot  be  so  cruel !  "  answered  the  lady. 
"  A  gentleman,  a  knight,  and  a  nobleman  —  and  I 
persuade  myself  I  speak  to  all  —  hath  duties  which 
he  cannot  abandon. " 

"  He  has,  I  grant  it,  and  they  are  most  sacred  to 
me,**  answered  the  Spectral  Knight;  "but  I  have 
also  duties  whose  obligations  are  doubly  binding, 
and  to  which  I  must  sacrifice  those  which  would 
otherwise  lead  me  to  devote  myself  to  your  rescue. 
The  only  question  is,  whether  you  feel  inclined  to 


222  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

accept  my  protection  on  the  limited  terms  on 
which  alone  I  can  extend  it,  or  whether  you  deem 
it  better  that  each  go  their  own  way,  and  limit 
themselves  to  their  own  resources,  and  trust  the 
rest  to  Providence  ?  " 

"  Alas !  "  replied  the  lady,  "  beset  and  hard 
pressed  as  I  am,  to  ask  me  to  form  a  resolution 
for  myself  is  like  calling  on  a  wretch,  in  the  act 
of  falling  from  a  precipice,  to  form  a  calm  judg- 
ment by  what  twig  he  may  best  gain  the  chance  of 
breaking  his  fall.  His  answer  must  necessarily 
be,  that  he  will  cling  to  that  which  he  can  easiest 
lay  hold  of,  and  trust  the  rest  to  Providence.  I 
accept,  therefore,  your  offer  of  protection,  in  the 
modified  way  you  are  pleased  to  limit  it,  and  I  put 
my  faith  in  Heaven  and  in  you.  To  aid  me  effec- 
tually, however,  you  must  know  my  name  and  my 
circumstances. " 

"  All  these, "  answered  the  Knight  of  the  Se- 
pulchre, "  have  already  been  told  me,  by  your  late 
companion ;  for  deem  not,  young  lady,  that  either 
beauty,  rank,  extended  domains,  unlimited  wealth, 
or  the  highest  accomplishments,  can  weigh  any- 
thing in  the  consideration  of  him  who  wears  the 
trappings  of  the  tomb,  and  whose  affections  and 
desires  are  long  buried  in  the  charnel-house. " 

"May  your  faith,"  said  the  Lady  Augusta  de 
Berkely,  "  be  as  steady  as  your  words  appear  severe, 
and  I  submit  to  your  guidance,  without  the  least 
doubt  or  fear  that  it  will  prove  otherwise  than  as 
I  venture  to  hope. " 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

Like  the  dog  following  its  master,  when  engaged 
in  training  him  to  the  sport  in  which  he  desires 
he  should  excel,  the  Lady  Augusta  felt  herself 
occasionally  treated  with  a  severity  calculated  to 
impress  upon  her  the  most  implicit  obedience  and 
attention  to  the  Knight  of  the  Tomb,  in  whom  she 
had  speedily  persuaded  herself  she  saw  a  prin- 
cipal man  among  the  retainers  of  Douglas,  if  not 
James  of  Douglas  himself.  Still,  however,  the 
ideas  which  the  lady  had  formed  of  the  redoubted 
Douglas  were  those  of  a  knight  highly  accom- 
plished in  the  duties  of  chivalry,  devoted  in  parti- 
cular to  the  service  of  the  fair  sex,  and  altogether 
unlike  the  personage  with  whom  she  found  her- 
self so  strangely  united,  or  rather  for  the  pre- 
sent enthralled  to.  Nevertheless,  when,  as  if  to 
abridge  further  communication,  he  turned  short 
into  one  of  the  mazes  of  the  wood,  and  seemed  to 
adopt  a  pace  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
the  horse  on  which  the  Lady  Augusta  was  mounted 
had  difficulty  to  keep  up  with,  she  followed  him 
with  the  alarm  and  speed  of  the  young  spaniel, 
which,  from  fear  rather  than  fondness,  endeavours 
to  keep  up  with  the  track  of  its  severe  master. 
The  simile,  it  is  true,  is  not  a  very  polite  one,  nor 
entirely  becoming  an  age  when  women  were  wor- 
shipped with  a  certain  degree  of  devotion ;  but 
such  circumstances  as  the  present  were  also  rare, 


224  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

and  the  Lady  Augusta  de  Berkely  could  not  but 
persuade  herself  that  the  terrible  champion,  whose 
name  had  been  so  long  the  theme  of  her  anxiety, 
and  the  terror  indeed  of  the  whole  country,  might 
be  able,  some  way  or  other,  to  accomplish  her 
deliverance.  She,  therefore,  exerted  herself  to  the 
utmost  so  as  to  keep  pace  with  the  phantom-like 
apparition,  and  followed  the  knight,  as  the  evening 
shadow  keeps  watch  upon  the  belated  rustic. 

As  the  lady  obviously  suffered  under  the  degree 
of  exertion  necessary  to  keep  her  palfrey  from 
stumbling  in  these  steep  and  broken  paths,  the 
Knight  of  the  Tomb  slackened  his  pace,  looked 
anxiously  around  him,  and  muttered  apparently  to 
himself,  though  probably  intended  for  his  com- 
panion's ear,  "  There  is  no  occasion  for  so  much 
haste. " 

He  proceeded  at  a  slower  rate,  until  they  seemed 
to  be  on  the  brink  of  a  ravine,  being  one  of  many 
irregularities  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  effected 
by  the  sudden  torrents  peculiar  to  that  country, 
and  which,  winding  among  the  trees  and  copse- 
wood,  formed,  as  it  were,  a  net  of  places  of  con- 
cealment, opening  into  each  other,  so  that  there 
was  perhaps  no  place  in  the  world  so  fit  for  the 
purpose  of  ambuscade.  The  spot  where  the  bor- 
derer Turnbull  had  made  his  escape  at  the  hunting- 
match  was  one  specimen  of  this  broken  country, 
and  perhaps  connected  itself  with  the  various 
thickets  and  passes  through  which  the  knight  and 
pilgrim  occasionally  seemed  to  take  their  way, 
though  that  ravine  was  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  their  present  route. 

Meanwhile  the  knight  led  the  way,  as  if  rather 
with  the  purpose  of  bewildering  the  Lady  Augusta 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  225 

amidst  these  interminable  woods,  than  following 
any  exact  or  fixed  path.  Here  they  ascended, 
and  anon  appeared  to  descend  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, finding  only  boundless  wildernesses,  and 
varied  combinations  of  tangled  woodland  scenery. 
Such  part  of  the  country  as  seemed  arable  the 
knight  appeared  carefully  to  avoid;  yet  he  could 
not  direct  his  course  with  so  much  certainty  but 
that  he  occasionally  crossed  the  path  of  inhabi- 
tants and  cultivators,  who  showed  a  consciousness 
of  so  singular  a  presence,  but  never,  as  the  lady 
observed,  evinced  any  symptom  of  recognition. 
The  inference  was  obvious,  that  the  spectre  knight 
was  known  in  the  country,  and  that  he  possessed 
adherents  or  accomplices  there  who  were  at  least 
so  far  his  friends  as  to  avoid  giving  any  alarm 
which  might  be  the  means  of  his  discovery.  The 
well-imitated  cry  of  the  night-owl,  too  frequent 
a  guest  in  the  wilderness  that  its  call  should  be  a 
subject  of  surprise,  seemed  to  be  a  signal  generally 
understood  among  them ;  for  it  was  heard  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  wood,  and  the  Lady  Augusta, 
experienced  in  such  journeys  by  her  former  travels 
under  the  guidance  of  the  minstrel  Bertram,  was 
led  to  observe  that,  on  hearing  such  wild  notes, 
her  guide  changed  the  direction  of  his  course,  and 
betook  himself  to  paths  which  led  through  deeper 
wilds  and  more  impenetrable  thickets.  This  hap- 
pened so  often,  that  a  new  alarm  came  upon  the  un- 
fortunate pilgrim,  which  suggested  other  motives 
of  terror.  Was  she  not  the  confidant,  and  almost 
the  tool,  of  some  artful  design,  laid  with  a  view 
to  an  extensive  operation,  which  was  destined  to 
terminate,  as  the  efforts  of  Douglas  had  before 
done,  in  the  surprise  of  his  hereditary  castle,  the 

15 


226  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

massacre  of  the  English  garrison  —  and,  finally,  in 
the  dishonour  and  death  of  that  Sir  John  de 
Walton  upon  whose  fate  she  had  long  believed, 
or  taught  herself  to  believe,  that  her  own  was 
dependent  ? 

It  no  sooner  flashed  across  the  mind  of  the  Lady 
Augusta  that  she  was  engaged  in  some  such  con- 
spiracy with  a  Scottish  insurgent,  than  she  shud- 
dered at  the  consequences  of  the  dark  transactions 
in  which  she  had  now  become  involved,  and  which 
appeared  to  have  a  tendency  so  very  different  from 
what  she  had  at  first  apprehended. 

The  hours  of  the  morning  of  this  remarkable 
day,  being  that  of  Palm  Sunday,  were  thus  drawn 
out  in  wandering  from  place  to  place;  while  the 
Lady  de  Berkely  occasionally  interposed  by  peti- 
tions for  liberty,  which  she  endeavoured  to  express 
in  the  most  moving  and  pathetic  manner,  and  by 
offers  of  wealth  and  treasures,  to  which  no  answer 
whatever  was  returned  by  her  strange  guide. 

At  length,  as  if  worn  out  by  his  captive's  im- 
portunity, the  knight,  coming  close  up  to  the 
bridle  rein  of  the  Lady  Augusta,  said  in  a  solemn 
tone  — 

"  I  am,  as  you  may  well  believe,  none  of  those 
knights  who  roam  through  wood  and  wild  seeking 
adventures,  by  which  I  may  obtain  grace  in  the 
eyes  of  a  fair  lady:  Yet  will  I  to  a  certain  de- 
gree grant  the  request  which  thou  dost  solicit  so 
anxiously,  and  the  arbitration  of  thy  fate  shall 
depend  upon  the  pleasure  of  him  to  whose  will  thou 
hast  expressed  thyself  ready  to  submit  thine  own. 
I  will,  on  our  arrival  at  the  place  of  our  destina- 
tion, which  is  now  at  hand,  write  to  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  and  send  my  letter,  together  with  thy  fair 


CASTLE  DANGEKOUS.  227 

self,  by  a  special  messenger.  He  will,  no  doubt, 
speedily  attend  our  summons,  and  thou  shalt 
thyself  be  satisfied,  that  even  he  who  has  as  yet 
appeared  deaf  to  entreaty,  and  insensible  to  earthly 
affections,  has  still  some  sympathy  for  beauty  and 
for  virtue.  I  will  put  the  choice  of  safety,  and  thy 
future  happiness,  into  thine  own  hands,  and  those 
of  the  man  whom  thou  hast  chosen;  and  thou 
mayst  select  which  thou  wilt  betwixt  those  and 
misery. " 

While  he  thus  spoke,  one  of  those  ravines  or 
clefts  in  the  earth  seemed  to  yawn  before  them, 
and  entering  it  at  the  upper  end,  the  spectre 
knight,  with  an  attention  which  he  had  not  yet 
shown,  guided  the  lady's  courser  by  the  rein  down 
the  broken  and  steep  path  by  which  alone  the 
bottom  of  the  tangled  dingle  was  accessible. 

When  placed  on  firm  ground  after  the  dangers  of 
a  descent  in  which  her  palfrey  seemed  to  be  sus- 
tained by  the  personal  strength  and  address  of  the 
singular  being  who  had  hold  of  the  bridle,  the 
lady  looked  with  some  astonishment  at  a  place  so 
well  adapted  for  concealment  as  that  which  she 
had  now  reached.  It  appeared  evident  that  it 
was  used  for  this  purpose,  for  more  than  one  stifled 
answer  was  given  to  a  very  low  bugle-note  emitted 
by  the  Knight  of  the  Tomb ;  and  when  the  same 
note  was  repeated,  about  half  a  score  of  armed 
men,  some  wearing  the  dress  of  soldiers,  others 
those  of  shepherds  and  agriculturists,  showed 
themselves  imperfectly,  as  if  acknowledging  the 
summons. 


CHAPTEK  XVI. 

"  Hail  to  you,  my  gallant  friends ! "  said  the 
Knight  of  the  Tomb  to  his  companions,  who 
seemed  to  welcome  him  with  the  eagerness  of  men 
engaged  in  the  same  perilous  undertaking.  "  The 
winter  has  passed  over,  the  festival  of  Palm  Sun- 
day is  come,  and  as  surely  as  the  ice  and  snow  of 
this  season  shall  not  remain  to  chill  the  earth 
through  the  ensuing  summer,  so  surely  we,  in  a 
few  hours,  keep  our  word  to  those  Southern  brag- 
garts, who  think  their  language  of  boasting  and 
malice  has  as  much  force  over  onr  Scottish  bosoms 
as  the  blast  possesses  over  the  autumn  fruits. 
But  it  is  not  so.  While  we  choose  to  remain 
concealed,  they  may  as  vainly  seek  to  descry  us, 
as  a  housewife  would  search  for  the  needle  she  has 
dropped  among  the  withered  foliage  of  yon  gigan- 
tic oak.  Yet  a  few  hours,  and  the  lost  needle 
shall  become  the  exterminating'  sword  of  the 
Genius  of  Scotland,  avenging  ten  thousand  inju- 
ries, and  especially  the  life  of  the  gallant  Lord 
Douglas,  cruelly  done  to  death  as  an  exile  from 
his  native  country. " 

An  exclamation  between  a  yell  and  a  groan 
burst  from  the  assembled  retainers  of  Douglas, 
upon  being  reminded  of  the  recent  death  of  their 
chieftain ;  while  they  seemed  at  the  same  time 
sensible  of  the  necessity  of  making  little  noise, 
lest  they  should  give  the   alarm  to  some  of  the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  229 

numerous  English  parties  which  were  then  tra- 
versing different  parts  of  the  forest.  The  acclama- 
tion, so  cautiously  uttered,  had  scarce  died  away 
in  silence,  when  the  Knight  of  the  Tomb,  or,  to 
call  him  by  his  proper  name,  Sir  James  Douglas, 
again  addressed  his  handful  of  faithful  followers. 

"  One  effort,  my  friends,  may  yet  be  made  to 
end  our  strife  with  the  Southron  without  blood- 
shed. Fate  has  within  a  few  hours  thrown  into 
my  power  the  young  heiress  of  Berkely,  for  whose 
sake  it  is  said  Sir  John  de  Walton  keeps  with 
such  obstinacy  the  castle  which  is  mine  by  in- 
heritance. Is  there  one  among  you  who  dare  go, 
as  the  honourable  escort  of  Augusta  de  Berkely, 
bearing  a  letter,  explaining  the  terms  on  which 
I  am  willing  to  restore  her  to  her  lover,  to  freedom, 
and  to  her  English  lordships  ?  " 

"  If  there  is  none  other, "  said  a  tall  man,  dressed 
in  the  tattered  attire  of  a  woodsman,  and  being, 
in  fact,  no  other  than  the  very  Michael  Turnbull 
who  had  already  given  so  extraordinary  a  proof  of 
his  undaunted  manhood,  "  I  will  gladly  be  the 
person  who  will  be  the  lady's  henchman  on  this 
expedition. " 

"  Thou  art  never  wanting, "  said  the  Douglas, 
"  where  a  manly  deed  is  to  be  done  ;  but  remember, 
this  lady  must  pledge  to  us  her  word  and  oath  that 
she  will  hold  herself  our  faithful  prisoner,  rescue 
or  no  rescue;  that  she  will  consider  herself  as 
pledged  for  the  life,  freedom,  and  fair  usage  of 
Michael  Turnbull ;  and  that  if  Sir  John  de  Walton 
refuse  my  terms,  she  must  hold  herself  obliged  to 
return  with  Turnbull  to  our  presence,  in  order  to 
be  disposed  of  at  our  pleasure. " 

There   was    much   in    these    conditions   which 


230  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

struck  the  Lady  Augusta  with  natural  doubt  and 
horror;  nevertheless,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the 
declaration  of  the  Douglas  gave  a  species  of  deci- 
sion to  her  situation  which  might  have  otherwise 
been  unattainable ;  and  from  the  high  opinion 
which  she  entertained  of  the  Douglas's  chivalry, 
she  could  not  bring  herself  to  think  that  any  part 
which  he  might  play  in  the  approaching  drama 
would  be  other  than  that  which  a  perfect  good 
knight  would,  under  all  circumstances,  maintain 
towards  his  enemy.  Even  with  respect  to  De 
Walton,  she  felt  herself  relieved  of  a  painful  diffi- 
culty. The  idea  of  her  being  discovered  by  the 
knight  himself,  in  a  male  disguise,  had  preyed 
upon  her  spirits ;  and  she  felt  as  if  guilty  of  a 
departure  from  the  laws  of  womanhood,  in  having 
extended  her  favour  towards  him  beyond  maidenly 
limits;  a  step,  too,  which  might  tend  to  lessen 
her  in  the  eyes  of  the  lover  for  whom  she  had 
hazarded  so  much. 

The  heart,  she  said,  is  lightly  prized, 

That  is  but  lightly  won  ; 
And  long  shall  mourn  the  heartless  man, 

That  leaves  his  love  too  soon. 

On  the  other  hand,  to  be  brought  before  him  as 
a  prisoner  was  indeed  a  circumstance  equally  per- 
plexing and  unpleasing,  but  it  was  one  which  was 
beyond  her  control,  and  the  Douglas,  into  whose 
hands  she  had  fallen,  appeared  to  her  to  represent 
the  deity  in  the  play,  whose  entrance  was  almost 
sufficient  to  bring  its  perplexities  to  a  conclusion ; 
she  therefore  not  unwillingly  submitted  to  take 
what  oaths  and  promises  were  required  by  the 
party  in  whose  hands  she  found  herself,  and  ac- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  231 

cordingly  engaged  to  be  a  true  prisoner,  whatever 
might  occur.  Meantime  she  strictly  obeyed  the 
directions  of  those  who  had  her  motions  at  com- 
mand, devoutly  praying  that  circumstances,  in 
themselves  so  adverse,  might  nevertheless  work 
together  for  the  safety  of  her  lover  and  her  own 
freedom. 

A  pause  ensued,  during  which  a  slight  repast 
was  placed  before  the  Lady  Augusta,  who  was 
well-nigh  exhausted  with  the  fatigues  of  her 
journey, 

Douglas  and  his  partisans,  meanwhile,  whis- 
pered together,  as  if  unwilling  she  should  hear 
their  conference ;  while,  to  purchase  their  good- 
will, if  possible,  she  studiously  avoided  every 
appearance  of  listening. 

After  some  conversation,  Turnbull,  who  appeared 
to  consider  the  lady  as  peculiarly  his  charge,  said 
to  her  in  a  harsh  voice,  "  Do  not  fear,  lady ;  no 
wrong  shall  be  done  you;  nevertheless,  you  must 
be  content  for  a  space  to  be  blindfolded. " 

She  submitted  to  this  in  silent  terror;  and  the 
trooper,  wrapping  part  of  a  mantle  round  her  head, 
did  not  assist  her  to  remount  her  palfrey,  but  lent 
her  his  arm  to  support  her  in  this  blinded  state. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

The  ground  which  they  traversed  was,  as  Lady 
Augusta  could  feel,  very  broken  and  uneven,  and 
sometimes,  as  she  thought,  incumbered  with  ruins, 
which  were  difficult  to  surmount.  The  strength 
of  her  comrade  assisted  her  forward  on  such  occa- 
sions ;  but  his  help  was  so  roughly  administered, 
that  the  lady  once  or  twice,  in  fear  or  suffering, 
was  compelled  to  groan  or  sigh  heavily,  whatever 
was  her  desire  to  suppress  such  evidence  of  the 
apprehension  which  she  underwent,  or  the  pain 
which  she  endured.  Presently,  upon  an  occasion 
of  this  kind,  she  was  distinctly  sensible  that  the 
rough  woodsman  was  removed  from  her  side,  and 
another  of  the  party  substituted  in  his  stead, 
whose  voice,  more  gentle  than  that  of  his  com- 
panion, she  thought  she  had  lately  heard. 

"  Noble  lady, "  were  the  words,  "  fear  not  the 
slightest  injury  at  our  hands,  and  accept  of  my 
ministry  instead  of  that  of  my  henchman,  who 
has  gone  forward  with  our  letter;  do  not  think 
me  presuming  on  my  situation  if  I  bear  you  in 
my  arms  through  ruins  where  you  could  not  easily 
move  alone  and  blindfold. " 

At  the  same  time  the  Lady  Augusta  Berkely  felt 
herself  raised  from  the  earth  in  the  strong  arms  of 
a  man,  and  borne  onward  with  the  utmost  gentle- 
ness, without  the  necessity  of  making  those  painful 
exertions  which  had  been  formerly  required.     She 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  233 

Was  ashamed  of  her  situation ;  but,  however  deli- 
cate, it  was  no  time  to  give  vent  to  complaints, 
which  might  have  given  offence  to  persons  whom 
it  was  her  interest  to  conciliate.  She,  therefore, 
submitted  to  necessity,  and  heard  the  following 
words  whispered  in  her  ear. 

"  Fear  nothing ;  there  is  no  evil  intended  you ; 
nor  shall  Sir  John  de  Walton,  if  he  loves  you  as 
you  deserve  at  his  hand,  receive  any  harm  on  our 
part.  We  call  on  him  but  to  do  justice  to  our- 
selves and  to  you ;  and  be  assured  you  will  best 
accomplish  your  own  happiness  by  aiding  our 
views,  which  are  equally  in  favour  of  your  wishes 
and  your  freedom." 

The  Lady  Augusta  would  have  made  some  an- 
swer to  this,  but  her  breath,  betwixt  fear  and  the 
speed  with  which  she  was  transported,  refused  to 
permit  her  to  use  intelligible  accents.  Meantime 
she  began  to  be  sensible  that  she  was  enclosed 
within  some  building,  and  probably  a  ruinous  one 

—  for  although  the  mode  of  her  transportation  no 
longer  permitted  her  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  her 
path  in  any  respect  distinctly,  yet  the  absence  of 
the  external  air  —  which  was,  however,  sometimes 
excluded,  and  sometimes  admitted  in  furious  gusts 

—  intimated  that  she  was  conducted  through 
buildings  partly  entire,  and  in  other  places  admit- 
ting the  wind  through  wide  rents  and  gaps.  In 
one  place  it  seemed  to  the  lady  as  if  she  passed 
through  a  considerable  body  of  people,  all  of  whom 
observed  silence,  although  there  was  sometimes 
heard  among  them  a  murmur,  to  which  every  one 
present  in  some  degree  contributed,  although  the 
general  sound  did  not  exceed  a  whisper.  Her 
situation  made  her  attend  to  every  circumstance. 


'234  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

and  she  did  not  fail  to  observe  that  these  persons 
made  way  for  him  who  bore  her,  until  at  length 
she  became  sensible  that  he  descended  by  the  regu- 
lar steps  of  a  stair,  and  that  she  was  now  alone 
excepting  his  company.  Arrived,  as  it  appeared 
to  the  lady,  on  more  level  ground,  they  proceeded 
on  their  singular  road  by  a  course  which  appeared 
neither  direct  nor  easy,  and  through  an  atmos- 
phere which  was  close  to  a  smothering  degree,  and 
felt  at  the  same  time  damp  and  disagreeable,  as  if 
from  the  vapours  of  a  new-made  grave.  Her  guide 
again  spoke. 

"  Bear  up,  Lady  Augusta,  for  a  little  longer,  and 
continue  to  endure  that  atmosphere  which  must 
be  one  day  common  to  us  all.  By  the  necessity 
of  my  situation,  I  must  resign  my  present  office  to 
your  original  guide,  and  can  only  give  you  my 
assurance,  that  neither  he,  nor  any  one  else,  shall 
ofi'er  you  the  least  incivility  or  insult  —  and  on 
this  you  may  rely,  on  the  faith  of  a  man  of 
honour. " 

He  placed  her,  as  he  said  these  words,  upon  the 
soft  turf,  and,  to  her  infinite  refreshment,  made 
her  sensible  that  she  was  once  more  in  the  open 
air,  and  free  from  the  smothering  atmosphere 
which  had  before  oppressed  her  like  that  of  a 
charnel-house.  At  the  same  time,  she  breathed  in 
a  whisper  an  anxious  wish  that  she  might  be  per- 
mitted to  disincumber  herself  from  the  folds  of 
the  mantle,  which  excluded  almost  the  power  of 
breathing,  though  intended  only  to  prevent  her 
seeing  by  what  road  she  travelled.  She  imme- 
diately found  it  unfolded,  agreeably  to  her  request, 
and  hastened,  with  uncovered  eyes,  to  take  note  of 
the  scene  around  her. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  23^ 

It  was  overshadowed  by  thick  oak-trees,  among 
which  stood  some  remnants  of  buildings,  or  what 
might  have  seemed  such,  being  perhaps  the  same 
in  which  she  had  been  lately  wandering.  A  clear 
fountain  of  living  water  bubbled  forth  from  under 
the  twisted  roots  of  one  of  those  trees,  and  offered 
the  lady  the  opportunity  of  a  draught  of  the  pure 
element,  and  in  which  she  also  bathed  her  face, 
which  had  received  more  than  one  scratch  in  the 
course  of  her  journey,  in  spite  of  the  care,  and 
almost  the  tenderness,  with  which  she  had  latterly 
been  borne  along.  The  cool  water  speedily  stopped 
the  bleeding  of  those  trifling  injuries,  and  the  ap- 
plication served  at  the  same  time  to  recall  the 
scattered  senses  of  the  damsel  herself.  Her  first 
idea  was,  whether  an  attempt  to  escape,  if  such 
should  appear  possible,  was  not  advisable.  A  mo- 
ment's reflection,  however,  satisfied  her  that  such 
a  scheme  was  not  to  be  thought  of;  and  such 
second  thoughts  were  confirmed  by  the  approach  of 
the  gigantic  form  of  the  huntsman  Turnbull,  the 
rough  tones  of  whose  voice  were  heard  before  his 
figure  was  obvious  to  her  eye. 

"  Were  you  impatient  for  my  return,  fair  lady  ? 
Such  as  I,"  he  continued  in  an  ironical  tone  of 
voice,  "  who  are  foremost  in  the  chase  of  wild 
stags  and  silvan  cattle,  are  not  in  use  to  lag  be- 
hind, when  fair  ladies,  like  you,  are  the  objects  of 
pursuit ;  and  if  I  am  not  so  constant  in  my  atten- 
dance as  you  might  expect,  believe  me,  it  is  be- 
cause I  was  engaged  in  another  matter,  to  which  I 
must  sacrifice  for  a  little  even  the  duty  of  attending 
on  you. " 

"  I  offer  no  resistance, "  said  the  lady ;  "  forbear, 
however,  in  discharging  thy  duty,  to  augment  my 


236  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

uneasiness  by  thy  conversation,  for  thy  master  hath 
pledged  me  his  word  that  he  will  not  sufifer  me  to 
be  alarmed  or  ill  treated. " 

"  Nay,  fair  one, "  replied  the  huntsman,  "  I  ever 
thought  it  was  fit  to  make  interest  by  soft  words 
with  fair  ladies ;  but  if  you  like  it  not,  I  have  no 
such  pleasure  in  hunting  for  fine  holiday  terms, 
but  that  I  can  with  equal  ease  hold  myself  silent. 
Come,  then,  since  we  must  wait  upon  this  lover 
of  yours  ere  morning  closes,  and  learn  his  last 
resolution  touching  a  matter  which  is  become  so 
strangely  complicated,  I  will  hold  no  more  inter- 
course with  you  as  a  female,  but  talk  to  you  as  a 
person  of  sense,  although  an  Englishwoman. " 

"  You  will, "  replied  the  lady,  "  best  fulfil  the 
intentions  of  those  by  whose  orders  you  act,  by 
holding  no  society  with  me  whatever,  otherwise 
than  is  necessary  in  the  character  of  guide. " 

The  man  lowered  his  brows,  yet  seemed  to 
assent  to  what  the  Lady  of  Berkely  proposed,  and 
remained  silent  as  they  for  some  time  pursued 
their  course,  each  pondering  over  tlieir  own  share 
of  meditation,  which  probably  turned  upon  matters 
essentially  different.  At  length  the  loud  blast  of 
a  bugle  was  heard  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
unsocial  fellow-travellers.  "  That  is  the  person 
we  seek, "  said  Turnbull ;  "  I  know  his  blast  from 
any  other  who  frequents  this  forest,  and  my  orders 
are  to  bring  you  to  speech  of  him. " 

The  blood  darted  rapidly  through  the  lady's 
veins  at  the  thought  of  being  thus  unceremoniously 
presented  to  the  knight,  in  whose  favour  she  had 
confessed  a  rash  preference  more  agreeable  to  the 
manners  of  those  times,  when  exaggerated  sen- 
timents   often    inspired    actions    of    extravagant 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  237 

generosity,  than  in  our  days,  when  everything  is 
accounted  absurd  which  does  not  turn  upon  a 
motive  connected  with  the  immediate  selfish  inte- 
rests of  the  actor  himself.  When  Turnbull,  there- 
fore, winded  his  horn,  as  if  in  answer  to  the  blast 
which  they  had  heard,  the  lady  was  disposed  to 
fly  at  the  first  impulse  of  shame  and  of  fear. 
Turnbull  perceived  her  intention,  and  caught  hold 
of  her  with  no  very  gentle  grasp,  saying  —  "  Nay, 
lady,  it  is  to  be  understood  that  you  play  your 
own  part  in  the  drama,  which,  unless  you  continue 
on  the  stage,  will  conclude  unsatisfactorily  to  us 
all,  in  a  combat  a  outrance  between  your  lover 
and  me,  when  it  will  appear  which  of  us  is  most 
worthy  of  your  favour. " 

"  I  will  be  patient,  **  said  the  lady,  bethinking 
her  that  even  this  strange  man's  presence,  and  the 
compulsion  which  he  appeared  to  use  towards  her, 
was  a  sort  of  excuse  to  her  female  scruples,  for 
coming  into  the  presence  of  her  lover,  at  least 
at  her  first  appearance  before  him,  in  a  disguise 
which  her  feelings  confessed  was  not  extremely 
decorous,  or  reconcilable  to  the  dignity  of  her 
sex. 

The  moment  after  these  thoughts  had  passed 
through  her  mind,  the  tramp  of  a  horse  was  heard 
approaching;  and  Sir  John  de  Walton  pressing 
through  the  trees,  became  aware  of  the  presence 
of  his  lady,  captive,  as  it  seemed,  in  the  grasp  of 
a  Scottish  outlaw,  who  was  only  known  to  him  by 
his  former  audacity  at  the  hunting-match. 

His  surprise  and  joy  only  supplied  the  knight 
with  those  hasty  expressions  —  "  Caitiff,  let  go  thy 
hold !  or  die  in  thy  profane  attempt  to  control  the 
motions   of   one  whom   the   very   sun   in  heaven 


238  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

should  be  proud  to  obey. "  At  the  same  time, 
apprehensive  that  the  huntsman  might  hurry  the 
lady  from  his  sight  by  means  of  some  entangled 
path  —  such  as  upon  a  former  occasion  had  served 
him  for  escape  —  Sir  John  de  Walton  dropped  his 
cumbrous  lance,  of  which  the  trees  did  not  permit 
him  the  perfect  use,  and,  springing  from  his  horse, 
approached  Turnbull  with  his  drawn  sword. 

The  Scottishman,  keeping  his  left  hand  still 
upon  the  lady's  mantle,  uplifted  with  his  right 
his  battle-axe,  or  Jedwood  staff,  for  the  purpose  of 
parrying  and  returning  the  blow  of  his  antagonist; 
but  the  lady  spoke. 

"  Sir  John  de  Walton,"  she  said,  "  for  Heaven's 
sake,  forbear  all  violence,  till  you  hear  upon  what 
pacific  object  I  am  brought  hither,  and  by  what 
peaceful  means  these  wars  may  be  put  an  end  to. 
This  man,  though  an  enemy  of  yours,  has  been  to 
me  a  civil  and  respectful  guardian ;  and  I  entreat 
you  to  forbear  him  while  he  speaks  the  purpose  for 
which  he  has  brought  me  hither." 

"  To  speak  of  compulsion  and  the  Lady  de 
Berkely  in  the  same  breath  would  itself  be  cause 
enough  for  instant  death,"  said  the  Governor  of 
Douglas  Castle ;  "  but  you  command,  lady,  and  I 
spare  his  insignificant  life,  although  I  have  causes 
of  complaint  against  him,  the  least  of  which  were 
good  warrant,  had  he  a  thousand  lives,  for  the 
forfeiture  of  them  all." 

"  John  de  Walton, "  replied  Turnbull,  "  this  lady 
well  knows  that  no  fear  of  thee  operates  in  my 
mind  to  render  this  a  peaceful  meeting ;  and  were 
I  not  withheld  by  other  circumstances  of  great 
consideration  to  the  Douglas,  as  well  as  thyself,  I 
should  have  no  more   fear  in  facing  the  utmost 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  239 

thou  couldst  do,  than  I  have  now  in  levelling  that 
sapling  to  the  earth  it  grows  upon. " 

So  saying,  Michael  Turnbull  raised  his  battle- 
axe,  and  struck  from  a  neighbouring  oak-tree  a 
branch,  well-nigh  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  which 
(with  all  its  twigs  and  leaves)  rushed  to  the  ground 
between  De  Walton  and  the  Scotchman,  giving  a 
singular  instance  of  the  keenness  of  his  weapon, 
and  the  strength  and  dexterity  with  which  he 
used  it. 

"  Let  there  be  truce,  then,  between  us,  good  fel- 
low, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton,  "  since  it  is  the  lady's 
pleasure  that  such  should  be  the  case,  and  let  me 
know  what  thou  hast  to  say  to  me  respecting  her  ?  " 

"  On  that  subject, "  said  Turnbull,  "  my  words 
are  few,  but  mark  them.  Sir  Englishman.  The 
Lady  Augusta  Berkely,  wandering  in  this  country, 
has  become  a  prisoner  of  the  noble  Lord  Douglas, 
the  rightful  inheritor  of  the  castle  and  lordship, 
and  he  finds  himself  obliged  to  attach  to  the  liberty 
of  this  lady  the  following  conditions,  being  in  all 
respects  such  as  good  and  lawful  warfare  entitles  a 
knight  to  exact.  That  is  to  say,  in  all  honour  and 
safety  the  Lady  Augusta  shall  be  delivered  to  Sir 
John  de  Walton,  or  those  whom  he  shall  name  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  her.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Castle  of  Douglas  itself,  together  with  all  out- 
posts or  garrisons  thereunto  belonging,  shall  be 
made  over  and  surrendered  by  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
in  the  same  situation,  and  containing  the  same 
provisions  and  artillery,  as  are  now  within  their 
walls ;  and  the  space  of  a  month  of  truce  shall  be 
permitted  to  Sir  James  Douglas  and  Sir  John  de 
Walton  further  to  regulate  the  terms  of  surrender 
on  both  parts,  having  first  plighted  their  knightly 


240  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

word  and  oath,  that  in  the  exchange  of  the  honour- 
able lady  for  the  foresaid  castle  lies  the  full  import 
of  the  present  agreement,  and  that  every  other  sub- 
ject of  dispute  shall,  at  the  pleasure  of  the  noble 
knights  foresaid,  be  honourably  compounded  and 
agreed  betwixt  them ;  or,  at  their  pleasure,  settled 
knightly  by  single  combat,  according  to  usage  and 
in  a  fair  field,  before  any  honourable  person  that 
may  possess  power  enough  to  preside. " 

It  is  not  easy  to  conceive  the  astonishment  of 
Sir  John  de  Walton  at  hearing  the  contents  of  this 
extraordinary  cartel;  he  looked  towards  the  Lady 
of  Berkely  with  that  aspect  of  despair  with  which 
a  criminal  may  be  supposed  to  see  his  guardian 
angel  prepare  for  departure.  Through  her  mind 
also  similar  ideas  flowed,  as  if  they  contained  a 
concession  of  what  she  had  considered  as  the  sum- 
mit of  her  wishes,  but  under  conditions  disgrace- 
ful to  her  lover,  like  the  cherub's  fiery  sword  of 
yore,  which  was  a  barrier  between  our  first  parents 
and  the  blessings  of  Paradise.  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  broke  silence  in  these 
words :  — 

"  Noble  lady,  you  may  be  surprised  if  a  con- 
dition be  imposed  upon  me,  having  for  its  object 
your  freedom ;  and  if  Sir  John  de  Walton,  already 
standing  under  those  obligations  to  you  which  he 
is  proud  of  acknowledging,  should  yet  hesitate  on 
accepting,  with  the  utmost  eagerness,  what  must 
insure  your  restoration  to  freedom  and  indepen- 
dence ;  but  so  it  is,  that  the  words  now  spoken  have 
thrilled  in  mine  ear  without  reaching  to  my  under- 
standing, and  I  must  pray  the  Lady  of  Berkely  for 
pardon  if  I  take  time  to  reconsider  them  for  a  short 
space. " 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  241 

"  And  I, "  replied  TurnbuU,  "  have  only  power  to 
allow  you  half  an  hour  for  the  consideration  of  an 
offer,  in  accepting  which,  methinks,  you  should 
jump  shoulder-height,  instead  of  asking  any  time 
for  reflection.  What  does  this  cartel  exact,  save 
what  your  duty  as  a  knight  implicitly  obliges  you 
to?  You  have  engaged  yourself  to  become  the 
agent  of  the  tyrant  Edward,  in  holding  Douglas 
Castle,  as  his  commander,  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
Scottish  nation,  and  of  the  Knight  of  Douglas  Dale, 
who  never,  as  a  community  or  as  an  individual, 
were  guilty  of  the  least  injury  towards  you;  you 
are  therefore  prosecuting  a  false  path,  unworthy  of 
a  good  knight.  On  the  other  hand,  the  freedom 
and  safety  of  your  lady  is  now  proposed  to  be 
pledged  to  you,  with  a  full  assurance  of  her 
liberty  and  honour,  on  consideration  of  your 
withdrawing  from  the  unjust  line  of  conduct  in 
which  you  have  suffered  yourself  to  be  impru- 
dently engaged.  If  you  persevere  in  it,  you  place 
your  own  honour,  and  the  lady's  happiness,  in 
the  hands  of  men  whom  you  have  done  every- 
thing in  your  power  to  render  desperate,  and 
whom,  thus  irritated,  it  is  most  probable  you 
may  find  such. " 

"  It  is  not  from  thee  at  least, "  said  the  knight, 
"  that  I  shall  learn  to  estimate  the  manner  in 
which  Douglas  will  explain  the  laws  of  war,  or 
De  Walton  receive  them  at  his  dictating. " 

"  I  am  not,  then, "  said  Turnbull,  "  received  as  a 
friendly  messenger?  Farewell,  and  think  of  this 
lady  as  being  in  any  hands  but  those  which  are 
safe,  while  you  make  up  at  leisure  your  mind  upon 
the  message  I  have  brought  you.  Come,  madam, 
we  must  be  gone. " 

16 


242  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

So  saying,  he  seized  upon  the  lady's  hand,  and 
pulled  her,  as  if  to  force  her  to  withdraw.  The 
lady  had  stood  motionless,  and  almost  senseless, 
while  these  speeches  were  exchanged  between  the 
warriors ;  but  when  she  felt  the  grasp  of  Michael 
Turnbull,  she  exclaimed,  like  one  almost  beside 
herself  with  fear  —  "  Help  me,  De  Walton  !  " 

The  knight,  stung  to  instant  rage,  assaulted  the 
forester  with  the  utmost  fury,  and  dealt  him  with 
his  long  sword,  almost  at  unawares,  two  or  three 
heavy  blows,  by  which  he  was  so  wounded  that  he 
sank  backwards  in  the  thicket,  and  De  Walton 
was  about  to  despatch  him,  when  he  was  prevented 
by  the  anxious  cry  of  the  lady  —  "  Alas !  De  Wal- 
ton, what  have  you  done  ?  This  man  v/as  only 
an  ambassador,  and  should  have  passed  free  from 
injury,  while  he  confined  himself  to  the  delivery 
of  what  he  was  charged  with;  and  if  thou  hast 
slain  him,  who  knows  how  frightful  may  prove 
the  vengeance  exacted !  " 

The  voice  of  the  lady  seemed  to  recover  the 
huntsman  from  the  effects  of  the  blows  he  had 
received ;  he  sprang  on  his  feet,  saying  —  "  Never 
mind  me,  nor  think  of  my  becoming  the  means  of 
making  mischief.  The  knight,  in  his  haste,  spoke 
without  giving  me  warning  and  defiance,  which 
gave  him  an  advantage  which,  I  think,  he  would 
otherwise  have  scorned  to  have  taken  in  such  a 
case.  I  will  renew  the  combat  on  fairer  terms,  or 
call  another  champion,  as  the  knight  pleases. " 
With  these  words  he  disappeared. 

"Fear  not,  empress  of  De  Walton's  thoughts," 
answered  the  knight,  "  but  believe,  that  if  we 
regain  together  the  shelter  of  Douglas  Castle,  and 
the  safeguard  of  St.  George's   Cross,  thou  mayst 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  243 

laugh  at  all.  And  if  you  can  but  pardon,  what  I 
shall  never  be  able  to  forgive  myself,  the  mole-like 
blindness  which  did  not  recognise  the  sun  while 
under  a  temporary  eclipse,  the  task  cannot  be 
named  too  hard  for  mortal  valour  to  achieve  which 
I  shall  not  willingly  undertake,  to  wipe  out  the 
memory  of  my  grievous  fault. " 

"  Mention  it  no  more, "  said  the  lady ;  "  it  is  not 
at  such  a  time  as  this,  when  our  lives  are  for 
the  moment  at  stake,  that  quarrels  upon  slighter 
topics  are  to  be  recurred  to.  I  can  tell  you,  if 
you  do  not  yet  know,  that  the  Scots  are  in 
arms  in  this  vicinity,  and  that  even  the  earth 
has  yawned  to  conceal  them  from  the  sight  of 
your  garrison. " 

"  Let  it  yawn,  then, "  said  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
"  and  suffer  every  fiend  in  the  infernal  abyss  to 
escape  from  his  prison-house  and  reinforce  our 
enemies  —  still,  fairest,  having  received  in  thee  a 
pearl  of  matchless  price,  my  spurs  shall  be  hacked 
from  my  heels  by  the  basest  scullion,  if  I  turn  my 
horse's  head  to  the  rear  before  the  utmost  force 
these  ruffians  can  assemble,  either  upon  earth  or 
from  underneath  it.  In  thy  name  I  defy  them  all 
to  instant  combat. " 

As  Sir  John  de  Walton  pronounced  these  last 
words,  in  something  of  an  exalted  tone,  a  tall 
cavalier,  arrayed  in  black  armour  of  the  simplest 
form,  stepped  forth  from  that  part  of  the  thicket 
where  TurnbuU  had  disappeared.  "  I  am, "  he 
said,  "  James  of  Douglas,  and  your  challenge  is 
accepted.  I,  the  challenged,  name  the  arms  our 
knightly  weapons  as  we  now  wear  them,  and  our 
place  of  combat  this  field  or  dingle  called  the 
Bloody  Sykes,   the  time  being   instant,   and   the 


244  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

combatants,    like    true    knights,    foregoing    each 
advantage  on  either  side. "  ^ 

"So  be  it,  in  God's  name,"  said  the  English 
knight,  who,  though  surprised  at  being  called  upon 
to  so  sudden  an  encounter  with  so  formidable  a 
warrior  as  young  Douglas,  was  too  proud  to  dream 
of  avoiding  the  combat.  Making  a  sign  to  the 
lady  to  retire  behind  him,  that  he  might  not  lose 
the  advantage  which  he  had  gained  by  setting  her 
at  liberty  from  the  forester,  he  drew  his  sword, 
and,  with  a  deliberate  and  prepared  attitude  of 
offence,  moved  slowly  to  the  encounter.  It  was  a 
dreadful  one,  for  the  courage  and  skill  both  of  the 
native  Lord  of  Douglas  Dale  and  of  De  Walton 
were  among  the  most  renowned  of  the  times,  and 
perhaps  the  world  of  chivalry  could  hardly  have 
produced  two  knights  more  famous.  Their  blows 
fell  as  if  urged  by  some  mighty  engine,  where  they 
were  met  and  parried  with  equal  strength  and  dex- 
terity ;  nor  seemed  it  likely,  in  the  course  of  ten 
minutes'  encounter,  that  an  advantage  would  be 
gained  by  either  combatant  over  the  other.  An  in- 
stant they  stopped  by  mutually  implied  assent,  as 
it  seemed,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  breath,  during 
which  Douglas  said,  "  I  beg  that  this  noble  lady 
may  understand,  that  her  own  freedom  is  no  way 
concerned  in  the  present  contest,  which  entirely 
regards  the  injustice  done  by  this  Sir  John  de  "Wal- 
ton, and  by  his  nation  of  England,  to  the  memory 
of  my  father,  and  to  my  own  natural  rights. " 

1  The  ominous  name  of  Bloodmire-Sink,  or  Syke,  marks  a  nar- 
row hollow  to  the  north-west  of  Douglas  Castle,  from  which  it  is 
distant  about  the  third  of  a  mile.  Mr.  Haddow  states  that,  accord- 
ing to  local  tradition,  the  uame  was  given  in  consequence  of  Sir 
James  Douglas  having  at  this  spot  intercepted  and  slain  part  of 
the  garrison  of  the  castle  while  De  Walton  was  in  command. 


m 


7he  Lady  watches  the  Combat, 

Drawn  and  Etched  by  H.  Macbeth -Raeburn. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  245 

*  Yon  are  generous,  Sir  Knight, "  replied  the 
lady ;  "  but  in  what  circumstances  do  you  place 
me,  if  you  deprive  me  of  my  protector  by  death  or 
captivity,  and  leave  me  alone  in  a  foreign  land  ?  " 

"  If  such  should  be  the  event  of  the  combat, " 
replied  Sir  James,  "  the  Douglas  himself,  lady, 
will  safely  restore  thee  to  thy  native  land ;  for 
never  did  his  sword  do  an  injury  for  which  he 
was  not  willing  to  make  amends  with  the  same 
weapon ;  and  if  Sir  John  de  Walton  will  make  the 
slightest  admission  that  he  renounces  maintaining 
the  present  strife,  were  it  only  by  yielding  up  a 
feather  from  the  plume  of  his  helmet,  Douglas 
will  renounce  every  purpose  on  his  part  which  can 
touch  the  lady's  honour  or  safety,  and  the  combat 
may  be  suspended  until  the  national  quarrel  again 
brings  us  together. " 

Sir  John  de  Walton  pondered  a  moment,  and 
the  lady,  although  she  did  not  speak,  looked  at 
him  with  eyes  which  plainly  expressed  how  much 
she  wished  that  he  would  choose  the  less  hazardous 
alternative.  But  the  knight's  own  scruples  pre- 
vented his  bringing  the  case  to  so  favourable  an 
arbitrament. 

"  Never  shall  it  be  said  of  Sir  John  de  Walton, " 
he  replied,  "  that  he  compromised,  in  the  slightest 
degree,  his  own  honour,  or  that  of  his  country. 
This  battle  may  end  in  my  defeat,  or  rather  death, 
and  in  that  case  my  earthly  prospects  are  closed, 
and  I  resign  to  Douglas,  with  my  last  breath,  the 
charge  of  the  Lady  Augusta,  trusting  that  he  will 
defend  her  with  his  life,  and  find  the  means  of 
replacing  her  with  safety  in  the  halls  of  her 
fathers.  But  while  I  survive,  she  may  have  a 
better,  but  will  not  need  another  protector  than 


246  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

he  who  is  honoured  by  being  her  own  choice ;  nor 
will  I  yield  up,  were  it  a  plume  from  my  helmet, 
implying  that  I  have  maintained  an  unjust  quarrel, 
either  in  the  cause  of  England  or  of  the  fairest  of 
her  daughters.  Thus  far  alone  I  will  concede  to 
Douglas  —  an  instant  truce,  provided  the  lady  shall 
not  be  interrupted  in  her  retreat  to  England,  and 
the  combat  be  fought  out  upon  another  day.  The 
Castle  and  territory  of  Douglas  is  the  property  of 
Edward  of  England,  the  governor  in  his  name  is 
the  rightful  governor,  and  on  this  point  I  will 
fight  while  my  eyelids  are  unclosed. " 

"  Time  flies, "  said  Douglas,  "  without  waiting 
for  our  resolves ;  nor  is  there  any  part  of  his 
motions  of  such  value  as  that  which  is  passing 
with  every  breath  of  vital  air  which  we  presently 
draw.  Why  should  we  adjourn  till  to-morrow 
that  which  can  be  as  well  finished  to-day  ?  Will 
our  swords  be  sharper,  or  our  arms  stronger  to 
wield  them,  than  they  are  at  this  moment  ?  Dou- 
glas will  do  all  which  knight  can  do  to  succour 
a  lady  in  distress;  but  he  will  not  grant  to  her 
knight  the  slightest  mark  of  deference,  which  Sir 
John  de  Walton  vainly  supposes  himself  able  to 
extort  by  force  of  arms. " 

With  these  words,  the  knights  engaged  once 
more  in  mortal  combat,  and  the  lady  felt  uncertain 
whether  she  should  attempt  her  escape  through  the 
devious  paths  of  the  wood,  or  abide  the  issue  of 
this  obstinate  fight.  It  was  rather  her  desire  to 
see  the  fate  of  Sir  John  de  Walton,  than  any  other 
consideration,  which  induced  her  to  remain,  as  if 
fascinated,  upon  the  spot,  where  one  of  the  fiercest 
quarrels  ever  fought  was  disputed  by  two  of  the 
bravest  champions  that  ever  drew  sword.     At  last 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  247 

the  lady  attempted  to  put  a  stop  to  the  combat,  by- 
appealing  to  the  bells  which  began  to  ring  for  the 
service  of  the  day,  which  was  Palm  Sunday. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,"  she  said  —  "  for  your  own 
sakes,  and  for  that  of  lady's  love,  and  the  duties 
of  chivalry,  hold  your  hands  only  for  an  hour,  and 
take  chance,  that  where  strength  is  so  equal, 
means  will  be  found  of  converting  the  truce  into  a 
solid  peace.  Think  this  is  Palm  Sunday,  and  will 
you  defile  with  blood  such  a  peculiar  festival  of 
Christianity  ?  Intermit  your  feud  at  least  so  far 
as  to  pass  to  the  nearest  church,  bearing  with  you 
branches,  not  in  the  ostentatious  mode  of  earthly 
conquerors,  but  as  rendering  due  homage  to  the 
rules  of  the  blessed  Church,  and  the  institutions 
of  our  holy  religion. " 

"  I  was  on  my  road,  fair  lady,  for  that  purpose, 
to  the  holy  church  of  Douglas,"  said  the  English- 
man, "  when  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  meet  you  at 
this  place ;  nor  do  I  object  to  proceed  thither  even 
now,  holding  truce  for  an  hour,  and  I  fear  not  to 
find  there  friends  to  whom  I  can  commit  you  with 
assurance  of  safety,  in  case  I  am  unfortunate  in 
the  combat  which  is  now  broken  off,  to  be  resumed 
after  the  service  of  the  day, " 

"  I  also  assent, "  said  the  Douglas,  '^  to  a  truce 
for  such  short  space ;  nor  do  I  fear  that  there  may 
be  good  Christians  enough  at  the  church,  who  will 
not  see  their  master  overpowered  by  odds.  Let  us 
go  thither,  and  each  take  the  chance  of  what 
Heaven  shall  please  to  send  us. " 

From  these  words.  Sir  John  de  Walton  little 
doubted  that  Douglas  had  assured  himself  of  a 
party  among  those  who  should  there  assemble ;  but 
he  doubted  not  of  so  many  of  the  garrison  being 


248  CASTLE  DANGEKOUS. 

present  as  would  bridle  every  attempt  at  rising; 
and  the  risk,  he  thought,  was  worth  incurring, 
since  he  should  thereby  secure  an  opportunity  to 
place  Lady  Augusta  de  Berkely  in  safety,  at  least 
80  far  as  to  make  her  liberty  depend  on  the  event 
of  a  general  conflict,  instead  of  the  precarious  issue 
of  a  combat  between  himself  and  Douglas. 

Both  these  distinguished  knights  were  inwardly 
of  opinion  that  the  proposal  of  the  lady,  though  it 
relieved  them  from  their  present  conflict,  by  no 
means  bound  them  to  abstain  from  the  conse- 
quences which  an  accession  of  force  might  add  to 
their  general  strength,  and  each  relied  upon  his 
superiority,  in  some  degree  provided  for  by  their 
previous  proceedings.  Sir  John  de  "Walton  made 
almost  certain  of  meeting  with  several  of  his  bands 
of  soldiers,  who  were  scouring  the  country  and 
traversing  the  woods  by  his  direction;  and  Dou- 
glas, it  may  be  supposed,  had  not  ventured  himself 
in  person  where  a  price  was  set  upon  his  head, 
without  being  attended  by  a  sufficient  number  of 
approved  adherents,  placed  in  more  or  less  connec- 
tion with  each  other,  and  stationed  for  mutual  sup- 
port. Each,  therefore,  entertained  well-grounded 
hopes,  that,  by  adopting  the  truce  proposed,  he 
would  insure  himself  an  advantage  over  his  an- 
tagonist, although  neither  exactly  knew  in  what 
manner  or  to  what  extent  this  success  was  to  be 
obtained. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

His  talk  was  of  another  world  —  his  bodements 
Strange,  doubtful,  and  mysterious ;  those  who  heard  him 
Listen'd  as  to  a  man  in  feverish  dreams, 
Who  speaks  of  other  objects  than  the  present, 
And  mutters  like  to  him  who  sees  a  vision. 

Old  Play. 

On  the  same  Palm  Sunday  when  De  Walton  and 

Douglas  measured  together  their  mighty  swords, 
the  minstrel  Bertram  was  busied  with  the  ancient 
Book  of  Prophecies,  which  we  have  already  men- 
tioned as  the  supposed  composition  of  Thomas  the 
Ehymer,  but  not  without  many  anxieties  as  to  the 
fate  of  his  lady,  and  the  events  which  were  passing 
around  him.  As  a  minstrel,  he  was  desirous  of 
an  auditor  to  enter  into  the  discoveries  which  he 
should  make  in  that  mystic  volume,  as  well  as  to 
assist  in  passing  away  the  time.  Sir  John  de 
Walton  had  furnished  him,  in  Gilbert  Greenleaf 
the  archer,  with  one  who  was  well  contented  to 
play  the  listener  "  from  morn  to  dewy  eve, "  pro- 
vided a  flask  of  Gascon  wine,  or  a  stoup  of  good 
English  ale,  remained  on  the  board.  It  may  be 
remembered  that  De  Walton,  when  he  dismissed 
the  minstrel  from  the  dungeon,  was  sensible  that 
he  owed  him  some  compensation  for  the  causeless 
suspicion  which  had  dictated  his  imprisonment, 
more  particularly  as  he  was  a  valued  servant,  and 
had  shown  himself  the  faithful  confidant  of  the 
Lady  Augusta  de   Berkely,   and  the   person  who 


250  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

was,  moreover,  likely  to  know  all  the  motives  and 
circumstances  of  her  Scottish  journey.  To  secure 
his  good  wishes  was,  therefore,  politic;  and  De 
Walton  had  intimated  to  his  faithful  archer  that 
he  was  to  lay  aside  all  suspicion  of  Bertram,  but 
at  the  same  time  keep  him  in  sight,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, in  good  humour  with  the  governor  of  the 
castle,  and  his  adherents.  Greenleaf  accordingly 
had  no  doubt  in  his  own  mind  that  the  only  way 
to  please  a  minstrel  was  to  listen  with  patience 
and  commendation  to  the  lays  which  he  liked  best 
to  sing,  or  the  tales  which  he  most  loved  to  tell ; 
and  in  order  to  insure  the  execution  of  his  master's 
commands,  he  judged  it  necessary  to  demand  of 
the  butler  such  store  of  good  liquor  as  could  not 
fail  to  enhance  the  pleasure  of  his  society. 

Having  thus  fortified  himself  with  the  means  of 
bearing  a  long  interview  with  the  minstrel,  Gilbert 
Greenleaf  proposed  to  confer  upon  him  the  bounty 
of  an  early  breakfast,  which,  if  it  pleased  him, 
they  might  wash  down  with  a  cup  of  sack,  and, 
having  his  master's  commands  to  show  the  min- 
strel  anything  about  the  castle  which  he  might 
wish  to  see,  refresh  their  overwearied  spirits  by 
attending  a  part  of  the  gams  on  of  Douglas  to  the 
service  of  the  day,  which,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
was  of  peculiar  sanctity.  Against  such  a  proposal 
the  minstrel,  a  good  Christian  by  profession,  and, 
by  his  connection  with  the  joyous  science,  a  good 
fellow,  having  no  objections  to  offer,  the  two  com- 
rades, who  had  formerly  little  good-will  towards 
each  other,  commenced  their  morning's  repast  on 
that  fated  Palm  Sunday,  with  all  manner  of  cor- 
diality and  good-fellowship. 

"  Do  not  believe,   worthy  minstrel, "    said   the 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  251 

archer,  "  that  my  master  in  any  respect  disparages 
your  worth  or  rank  in  referring  yon  for  company 
or  conversation  to  so  poor  a  man  as  myself.  It  is 
true,  I  am  no  officer  of  this  garrison;  yet  for  an 
old  archer,  who,  for  these  thirty  years,  has  lived 
by  bow  and  bowstring,  I  do  not  (Our  'Lady  make 
me  thankful !)  hold  less  share  in  the  grace  of  Sir 
John  de  Walton,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  other 
approved  good  soldiers,  than  many  of  those  giddy 
young  men  on  whom  commissions  are  conferred, 
and  to  whom  confidences  are  intrusted,  not  on 
account  of  what  they  have  done,  but  what  their 
ancestors  have  done  before  them.  I  pray  you  to 
notice  among  them  one  youth  placed  at  our  head 
in  De  Walton's  absence,  and  who  bears  the 
honoured  name  of  Aymer  de  Valence,  being  the 
same  with  that  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  of  whom 
I  have  spoken ;  this  knight  has  also  a  brisk  young 
page,  whom  men  call  Eabian  Harbothel. " 

"  Is  it  to  these  gentlemen  that  your  censure 
applies  ?  "  answered  the  minstrel.  "  I  should  have 
judged  differently,  having  never,  in  the  course  of 
my  experience,  seen  a  young  man  more  courteous 
and  amiable  than  the  young  knight  you  named. " 

"  I  nothing  dispute  that  it  may  be  so, "  said  the 
archer,  hastening  to  amend  the  false  step  which 
he  had  made ;  "  but  in  order  that  it  should  be  so, 
it  will  be  necessary  that  he  conform  to  the  usages 
of  his  uncle,  taking  the  advice  of  experienced  old 
soldiers  in  the  emergencies  which  may  present 
themselves ;  and  not  believing,  that  the  knowledge 
which  it  takes  many  years  of  observation  to  ac- 
quire, can  be  at  once  conferred  by  the  slap  of  the 
flat  of  a  sword,  and  the  magic  words,  'Eise  up,  Sir 
Arthur'  —  or  however  the  case  may  be." 


252  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

"  Doubt  not,  Sir  Archer,"  replied  Bertram,  "  that 
I  am  fully  aware  of  the  advantage  to  be  derived 
from  conversing  vy^ith  men  of  experience  like  you : 
it  benefiteth  men  of  every  persuasion,  and  I  myself 
am  oft  reduced  to  lament  my  want  of  sufficient 
knowledge  of  armorial  bearings,  signs,  and  cogni- 
sances, and  would  right  fain  have  thy  assistance, 
where  I  am  a  stranger  alike  to  the  names  of  places, 
of  persons,  and  description  of  banners  and  emblems 
by  which  great  families  are  distinguished  from 
each  other,  so  absolutely  necessary  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  my  present  task. " 

"  Pennons  and  banners, "  answered  the  archer, 
"  I  have  seen  right  many,  and  can  assign,  as  is  a 
soldier's  wont,  the  name  of  the  leader  to  the 
emblem  under  which  he  musters  his  followers ; 
nevertheless,  worthy  minstrel,  I  cannot  presume 
to  understand  what  you  call  prophecies,  with  or 
under  warranted  authority  of  old  painted  books, 
expositions  of  dreams,  oracles,  revelations,  invoca- 
tions of  damned  spirits,  judicials,  astrologicals, 
and  other  gross  and  palpable  offences,  whereby 
men,  pretending  to  have  the  assistance  of  the 
devil,  do  impose  upon  the  common  people,  in 
spite  of  the  warnings  of  the  Privy  Council ;  not, 
however,  that  I  suspect  you,  worthy  minstrel,  of 
busying  yourself  with  these  attempts  to  explain 
futurity,  which  are  dangerous  attempts,  and  may 
be  truly  said  to  be  penal,  and  part  of  treason. " 

"  There  is  something  in  what  you  say, "  replied 
the  minstrel ;  "  yet  it  applieth  not  to  books  and 
manuscripts  such  as  I  have  been  consulting ;  part 
of  which  things  therein  written  having  already 
come  to  pass,  authorise  us  surely  to  expect  the 
completion  of  the  rest ;  nor  would  I  have   much 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  253 

difficulty  in  showing  you  from  this  volume,  that 
enough  has  been  already  proved  true  to  entitle  us 
to  look  with  certainty  to  the  accomplishment  of 
that  which  remains. " 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  that, "  answered  the 
archer,  who  entertained  little  more  than  a  soldier's 
belief  respecting  prophecies  and  auguries,  but  yet 
cared  not  bluntly  to  contradict  the  minstrel  upon 
such  subjects,  as  he  had  been  instructed  by  Sir 
John  de  AValton  to  comply  with  his  humour.  Ac- 
cordingly the  minstrel  began  to  recite  verses,  which, 
in  our  time,  the  ablest  interpreter  could  not  make 
sense  out  of. 

*'  When  the  cock  crows,  keep  well  his  comb, 
.    For  the  fox  and  the  fulmart  they  are  false  both. 
When  the  raven  and  the  rook  have  rounded  together, 
And  the  kid  in  his  cliif  shall  accord  to  the  same, 
Then  shall  they  be  bold,  and  soon  to  battle  thereafter. 
Then  the  birds  of  the  raven  rugs  and  reives, 
And  the  leal  men  of  Lothian  are  louping  on  their  horse; 
Then  shall  the  poor  people  be  spoiled  full  near, 
And  the  Abbeys  be  burnt  truly  that  stand  upon  Tweed ; 
They  shall  burn  and  slay,  and  great  reif  make  ; 
There  shall  no  poor  man  who  say  whose  man  he  is  : 
Then  shall  the  land  be  lawless,  for  love  there  is  none. 
Then  falset  shall  have  foot  fully  five  years  ; 
Then  truth  surely  shall  be  tint,  and  none  shall  lippen  to 

other ; 
The  one  cousing  shall  not  trust  the  other. 
Not  the  son  the  father,  nor  the  father  the  son  ; 
For  to  have  his  goods  he  would  have  him  hanged.'* 
&c.  &c.  &c. 

The  archer  listened  to  these  mystic  prognostica- 
tions, which  were  not  the  less  wearisome  that  they 
were,  in  a  considerable  degree,  unintelligible ;  at 
the  same  time  subduing  his  Hotspur-like  disposi- 
tion to  tire  of  the  recitation,  yet  at  brief  intervals 


254  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

comforting  himself  with  an  application  to  the  wine 
flagon,  and  enduring  as  he  might  what  he  neither 
understood  nor  took  interest  in.  Meanwhile  the 
minstrel  proceeded  with  his  explanation  of  the 
dubious  and  imperfect  vaticinations  of  which  we 
have  given  a  sufficient  specimen. 

"  Could  you  wish, "  said  he  to  Greenleaf,  "  a 
more  exact  description  of  the  miseries  which  have 
passed  over  Scotland  in  these  latter  days  ?  Have 
not  these  the  raven  and  rook,  the  fox  and  the  ful- 
mart,  explained ;  either  because  the  nature  of  the 
birds  or  beasts  bear  an  individual  resemblance  to 
those  of  the  knights  who  display  them  on  their 
banners,  or  otherwise  are  bodied  forth  by  actual 
blazonry  on  their  shields,  and  come  openly  into 
the  field  to  ravage  and  destroy  ?  Is  not  the  total 
disunion  of  the  land  plainly  indicated  by  these 
words,  that  connections  of  blood  shall  be  broken 
asunder,  that  kinsmen  shall  not  trust  each  other, 
and  that  the  father  and  son,  instead  of  putting 
faith  in  their  natural  connection,  shall  seek  each 
other's  life,  in  order  to  enjoy  his  inheritance? 
The  leal  men  of  Lothian  are  distinctly  mentioned 
as  taking  arms,  and  there  is  plainly  allusion  to 
the  other  events  of  these  late  Scottish  troubles. 
The  death  of  this  last  William  is  obscurely  inti- 
mated under  the  type  of  a  hound,  which  was  that 
good  lord's  occasional  cognisance. 

The  hound  that  was  harmed  then  muzzled  shall  be. 
Who  loved  him  worst  shall  weep  for  his  wreck  ; 
Yet  shall  a  whelp  rise  of  the  same  race, 
That  rudely  shall  roar,  and  rule  the  whole  north, 
And  quit  the  whole  quarrel  of  old  deeds  done, 
Though  he  from  his  hold  be  kept  back  awhile. 
True  Thomas  told  me  this  in  a  troublesome  time, 
In  a  harvest  morning  at  Eldoun  hills. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  255 

This  hath  a  meaning,  Sir  Archer, "  continued  the 
minstrel,  "  and  which  flies  as  directly  to  its  mark 
as  one  of  your  own  arrows,  although  there  may  he 
some  want  of  wisdom  in  making  the  direct  expli- 
cation. Being,  however,  upon  assurance  with  you, 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  tell  you,  that  in  my  opinion 
this  lion's  whelp  that  waits  its  time  means  this 
same  celebrated  Scottish  prince,  Eobert  the  Bruce, 
who,  though  repeatedly  defeated,  has  still,  while 
hunted  with  bloodhounds,  and  surrounded  by  ene- 
mies of  every  sort,  maintained  his  pretensions  to 
the  crown  of  Scotland,  in  despite  of  King  Edward, 
now  reigning. " 

"  Minstrel, "  answered  the  soldier,  "  you  are  my 
guest,  and  we  have  sat  down  together  as  friends  to 
this  simple  meal  in  good  comradeship.  I  must 
tell  thee,  however,  though  I  am  loth  to  disturb  our 
harmony,  that  thou  art  the  first  who  hast  adven- 
tured to  speak  a  word  before  Gilbert  Greenleaf  in 
favour  of  that  outlawed  traitor,  Eobert  Bruce,  who 
has  by  his  seditions  so  long  disturbed  the  peace  of 
this  realm.  Take  my  advice,  and  be  silent  on 
this  topic;  for,  believe  me,  the  sword  of  a  true 
English  archer  will  spring  from  its  scabbard  with- 
out consent  of  its  master,  should  it  hear  aught  said 
to  the  disparagement  of  bonny  St.  George  and  his 
ruddy  cross ;  nor  shall  the  authority  of  Thomas 
the  Ehymer,  or  any  other  prophet  in  Scotland, 
England,  or  Wales,  be  considered  as  an  apology 
for  such  unbecoming  predictions. " 

"  I  were  loth  to  give  offence  at  any  time, "  said 
the  minstrel,  "  much  more  to  provoke  you  to  anger, 
when  I  am  in  the  very  act  of  experiencing  your 
hospitality.  I  trust,  however,  you  will  remember 
that  I  do  not  come  your  uninvited  guest,  and  that 


256  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

if  I  speak  to  you  of  future  events  I  do  so  without 
having  the  least  intention  to  add  my  endeavour  to 
bring  them  to  pass ;  for,  God  knows,  it  is  many 
years  since  my  sincere  prayer  has  been  for  peace 
and  happiness  to  all  men,  and  particularly  honour 
and  happiness  to  the  land  of  Bowmen,  in  which  I 
was  born,  and  which  I  am  bound  to  remember  in 
my  prayers  beyond  all  other  nations  in  the  world. " 

"  It  is  well  that  you  do  so, "  said  the  archer ; 
"  for  so  you  shall  best  maintain  your  bounden  duty 
to  the  fair  land  of  your  birth,  which  is  the  richest 
that  the  sun  shines  upon.  Something,  however,  I 
would  know,  if  it  suits  with  your  pleasure  to  tell 
me,  and  that  is,  whether  you  find  anything  in 
these  rude  rhymes  appearing  to  affect  the  safety  of 
the  Castle  of  Douglas,  where  we  now  are  ?  —  for, 
mark  me.  Sir  Minstrel,  I  have  observed  that  these 
mouldering  parchments,  when  or  by  whomsoever 
composed,  have  so  far  a  certain  coincidence  with 
the  truth,  that  when  such  predictions  which  they 
contain  are  spread  abroad  in  the  country,  and 
create  rumours  of  plots,  conspiracies,  and  bloody 
wars,  they  are  very  apt  to  cause  the  very  mis- 
chances which  they  would  be  thought  only  to 
predict. " 

"It  were  not  very  cautious  in  me,"  said  the 
minstrel,  "  to  choose  a  prophecy  for  my  theme, 
which  had  reference  to  any  attack  on  this  garrison  ; 
for  in  such  case  I  should,  according  to  your  ideas, 
lay  myself  under  suspicion  of  endeavouring  to  for- 
ward what  no  person  could  more  heartily  regret 
than  myself. " 

"  Take  my  word  for  it,  good  friend, "  said  the 
archer,  "  that  it  shall  not  be  thus  with  thee ;  for 
I   neither  will  myself  conceive  ill  of  thee,   nor 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  257 

report  thee  to  Sir  John  de  Walton  as  meditating 
harm  against  him  or  his  garrison  —  nor,  to  speak 
truth,  would  Sir  John  de  Walton  be  willing  to 
believe  any  one  who  did.  He  thinks  highly,  and 
no  doubt  deservedly,  of  thy  good  faith  towards  thy 
lady,  and  would  conceive  it  unjust  to  suspect  the 
fidelity  of  one  who  has  given  evidence  of  his 
willingness  to  meet  death  rather  than  betray  the 
least  secret  of  his  mistress. " 

"  In  preserving  her  secret, "  said  Bertram,  "  I 
only  discharged  the  duty  of  a  faithful  servant, 
leaving  it  to  her  to  judge  how  long  such  a  secret 
ought  to  be  preserved ;  for  a  faithful  servant  ought 
to  think  as  little  of  the  issue  towards  himself  of 
the  commission  which  he  bears,  as  the  band  of 
flock  silk  concerns  itself  with  the  secret  of  the 
letter  which  it  secures.  And,  touching  your  ques- 
tion —  I  have  no  objections,  although  merely  to 
satisfy  your  curiosity,  to  unfold  to  you  that  these 
old  prophecies  do  contain  some  intimations  of  wars 
befalling  in  Douglas  Dale,  between  an  haggard,  or 
wild  hawk,  which  I  take  to  be  the  cognisance  of 
Sir  John  de  Walton,  and  the  three  stars,  or  mart- 
lets, which  is  the  cognisance  of  the  Douglas ;  and 
more  particulars  I  could  tell  of  these  onslaughts, 
did  I  know  whereabouts  is  a  place  in  these  woods 
termed  Bloody  Sykes,  the  scene  also,  as  I  compre- 
hend, of  slaughter  and  death,  between  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  three  stars  and  those  who  hold  the 
part  of  the  Saxon,  or  King  of  England.  " 

"  Such  a  place, "  replied  Gilbert  Greenleaf,  "  I 
have  heard  often  mentioned  by  that  name  among 
the  natives  of  these  parts;  nevertheless  it  is  in 
vain  to  seek  to  discover  the  precise  spot,  as  these 
wily  Scots  conceal  from  us  with  care  everything 

17 


258  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

respecting  the  geography  of  their  country,  as  it  ia 
called  by  learned  men ;  but  we  may  here  mention 
the  Bloody  Sykes,  Bottomless  Myre,  and  other 
places,  as  portentous  names,  to  which  their  tradi- 
tions attach  some  signification  of  war  and  slaughter. 
If  it  suits  your  wish,  however,  we  can,  on  our 
way  to  the  church,  try  to  find  this  place  called 
Bloody  Sykes,  which  I  doubt  not  we  shall  trace 
out  long  before  the  traitors  who  meditate  an  at- 
tack upon  us  will  find  a  power  sufficient  for  the 
attempt. " 

Accordingly  the  minstrel  and  archer,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  by  this  time  reasonably  well  refreshed 
with  wine,  marched  out  of  the  Castle  of  Douglas, 
without  waiting  for  others  of  the  garrison,  re- 
solving to  seek  the  dingle  bearing  the  ominous 
name  of  Bloody  Sykes,  concerning  which  the  archer 
only  knew  that  by  mere  accident  he  had  heard  of 
a  place  bearing  such  a  name,  at  the  hunting-match 
made  under  the  auspices  of  Sir  John  de  Walton, 
and  knew  that  it  lay  in  the  woods  somewhere  near 
the  town  of  Douglas,  and  in  the  vicinage  of  the 
castle. 


CHAPTEE    XIX. 

Hotspur.    I  cannot  choose ;  sometimes  he  angers  me 
With  telling  me  of  the  moldwarp  and  the  ant. 
Of  the  dreamer  Merlin,  and  his  prophecies ; 
And  of  a  dragon  and  a  finless  fish, 
A  clipt-wing'd  griffin  and  a  moulten  raven, 
A  couching  lion,  and  a  ramping  cat, 
And  such  a  deal  of  skimble-skamble  stuff. 
As  puts  me  from  my  faith. 

King  Henry  IV. 

The  conversation  between  the  minstrel  and  the 
ancient  archer  naturally  pursued  a  train  somewhat 
resembling  that  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower,  in 
which  Gilbert  Greenleaf  by  degrees  took  a  larger 
share  than  wag  apparently  consistent  with  his 
habits  and  education :  but  the  truth  was,  that  as 
he  exerted  himself  to  recall  the  recognisances  of 
military  chieftains,  their  war-cries,  emblems,  and 
other  types  by  which  they  distinguished  them- 
selves in  battle,  and  might  undoubtedly  be  indi- 
cated in  prophetic  rhymes,  he  began  to  experience 
the  pleasure  which  most  men  entertain  when  they 
find  themselves  unexpectedly  possessed  of  a  faculty 
which  the  moment  calls  upon  them  to  employ,  and 
renders  them  important  in  the  possession  of.  The 
minstrel's  sound  good  sense  was  certainly  some- 
what surprised  at  the  inconsistencies  sometimes 
displayed  by  his  companion,  as  he  was  carried  ofif 
by  the  willingness  to  make  show  of  his  newly  dis- 
covered faculty  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other, 
to  call  to  mind  the  prejudices  which  he  had  nour- 


26o  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

ished  during  his  whole  life  against  minstrels,  who, 
with  the  whole  train  of  legends  and  fables,  were 
the  more  likely  to  be  false,  as  being  generally- 
derived  from  the  "  North  Countrie. " 

As  they  strolled  from  one  glade  of  the  forest  to 
another,  the  minstrel  began  to  be  surprised  at  the 
number  of  Scottish  votaries  whom  they  met,  and 
who  seemed  to  be  hastening  to  the  church,  and,  as 
it  appeared  by  the  boughs  which  they  carried,  to 
assist  in  the  ceremony  of  the  day.  To  each  of 
these  the  archer  put  a  question  respecting  the 
existence  of  a  place  called  Bloody  Sykes,  and 
where  it  was  to  be  found ;  but  all  seemed  either  to 
be  ignorant  on  the  subject,  or  desirous  of  evading 
it,  for  which  they  found  some  pretext  in  the  jolly 
archer's  manner  of  interrogation,  which  savoured 
a  good  deal  of  the  genial  breakfast.  The  general 
answer  was,  that  they  knew  no  such  place,  or  had 
other  matters  to  attend  to  upon  the  morn  of  a 
holy-tide  than  answering  frivolous  questions.  At 
last,  when,  in  one  or  two  instances,  the  answer  of 
the  Scottish  almost  approached  to  sullenness,  the 
minstrel  remarked  it,  observing  that  there  was 
ever  some  mischief  on  foot  when  the  people  of  this 
country  could  not  find  a  civil  answer  to  their  bet- 
ters, which  is  usually  so  ready  among  them,  and 
that  they  appeared  to  be  making  a  strong  muster 
for  the  service  of  Palm  Sunday. 

"  You  will  doubtless,  Sir  Archer, "  continued 
the  minstrel,  "  make  your  report  to  your  knight 
accordingly ;  for  I  promise  you,  that  if  you  do  not, 
I  myself,  whose  lady's  freedom  is  also  concerned, 
will  feel  it  my  duty  to  place  before  Sir  John  de 
Walton  the  circumstances  which  make  me  enter- 
tain suspicion  of  this  extraordinary  confluence  of 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  261 

Scottish  men,  and  the  surliness  which  has  replaced 
their  wonted  courtesy  of  manners. " 

"  Tush,  Sir  Minstrel, "  replied  the  archer,  dis- 
pleased at  Bertram's  interference,  "believe  me, 
that  armies  have  ere  now  depended  on  my  report 
to  the  general,  which  has  always  been  perspicuous 
and  clear,  according  to  the  duties  of  war.  Your 
walk,  my  worthy  friend,  has  been  in  a  separate 
department,  such  as  affairs  of  peace,  old  songs, 
prophecies,  and  the  like,  in  which  it  is  far  from 
my  thoughts  to  contend  with  you ;  but  credit  me, 
it  will  be  most  for  the  reputation  of  both,  that  we 
do  not  attempt  to  interfere  with  what  concerns 
each  other. " 

"  It  is  far  from  my  wish  to  do  so, "  replied  the 
minstrel ;  "  but  I  would  wish  that  a  speedy  return 
should  be  made  to  the  castle,  in  order  to  ask  Sir 
John  de  Walton's  opinion  of  that  which  we  have 
but  just  seen. " 

"  To  this, "  replied  Greenleaf,  "  there  can  be  no 
objection ;  but,  would  you  seek  the  governor  at  the 
hour  which  now  is,  you  will  find  him  most  readily 
by  going  to  the  church  of  Douglas,  to  which  he 
regularly  wends  on  occasions  such  as  the  present, 
with  the  principal  part  of  his  officers,  to  insure, 
by  his  presence,  that  no  tumult  arise  (of  which 
there  is  no  little  dread)  between  the  English  and 
the  Scottish.  Let  us  therefore  hold  to  our  original 
intention  of  attending  the  service  of  the  day,  and 
we  shall  rid  ourselves  of  these  entangled  woods, 
and  gain  the  shortest  road  to  the  church  of 
Douglas. " 

"  Let  us  go,  then,  with  all  despatch, "  said  the 
minstrel ;  "  and  with  the  greater  haste,  that  it  ap- 
pears to  me  that  something  has  passed  on  this  very 


262  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

spot  this  morning,  which  argues  that  the  Chris- 
tian peace  due  to  the  day  has  not  been  inviolably 
observed.  What  mean  these  drops  of  blood  ? "  — 
alluding  to  those  which  had  flowed  from  the 
wounds  of  Turnbull.  "  Wherefore  is  the  earth 
impressed  with  these  deep  dints,  the  footsteps  of 
armed  men  advancing  and  retreating,  doubtless, 
according  to  the  chances  of  a  fierce  and  heady 
conflict  ?  " 

"  By  Our  Lady, "  returned  Greenleaf,  "  I  must 
own  that  thou  seest  clear.  What  were  my  eyes 
made  of  when  they  permitted  thee  to  be  the  first 
discoverer  of  these  signs  of  conflict?  Here  are 
feathers  of  a  blue  plume,  which  I  ought  to  remem- 
ber, seeing  my  knight  assumed  it,  or  at  least  per- 
mitted me  to  place  it  in  his  helmet,  this  morning, 
in  sign  of  returning  hope,  from  the  liveliness  of 
its  colour.  But  here  it  lies,  shorn  from  his  head, 
and,  if  I  may  guess,  by  no  friendly  hand.  Come, 
friend,  to  the  church  —  to  the  church  —  and  thou 
shalt  have  my  example  of  the  manner  in  which 
De  Walton  ought  to  be  supported  when  in 
danger, " 

He  led  the  way  through  the  town  of  Douglas, 
entering  at  the  southern  gate,  and  up  the  very 
street  in  which  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  had  charged 
the  Phantom  Knight. 

We  can  now  say  more  fully,  that  the  church  of 
Douglas  had  originally  been  a  stately  Gothic 
building,  whose  towers,  arising  high  above  the 
walls  of  the  town,  bore  witness  to  the  grandeur 
of  its  original  construction.  It  was  now  partly 
ruinous,  and  the  small  portion  of  open  space  which 
was  retained  for  public  worship  was  fitted  up  in 
the  family  aisle,  where  its   deceased  lords  rested 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  263 

from  worldly  labours  and  the  strife  of  war.  From 
the  open  ground  in  the  front  of  the  building,  their 
eye  could  pursue  a  considerable  part  of  the  course 
of  the  river  Douglas,  which  approached  the  town 
from  the  south-west,  bordered  by  a  line  of  hills 
fantastically  diversified  in  their  appearance,  and 
in  many  places  covered  with  copsewood,  which 
descended  towards  the  valley,  and  formed  a  part 
of  the  tangled  and  intricate  woodland  by  which 
the  town  was  surrounded.  The  river  itself, 
sweeping  round  the  west  side  of  the  town,  and 
from  thence  northward,  supplied  that  large  inun- 
dation or  artificial  piece  of  water  which  we  have 
already  mentioned.  Several  of  the  Scottish  people, 
bearing  willow  branches,  or  those  of  yew,  to  repre- 
sent the  palms  which  were  the  symbol  of  the  day, 
seemed  wandering  in  the  churchyard  as  if  to  attend 
the  approach  of  some  person  of  peculiar  sanctity, 
or  procession  of  monks  and  friars,  come  to  render 
the  homage  due  to  the  solemnity.  At  the  moment 
almost  that  Bertram  and  his  companion  entered 
the  churchyard,  the  Lady  of  Berkely,  who  was  in 
the  act  of  following  Sir  John  de  Walton  into  the 
church,  after  having  witnessed  his  conflict  with 
the  young  Knight  of  Douglas,  caught  a  glimpse  of 
her  faithful  minstrel,  and  instantly  determined  to 
regain  the  company  of  that  old  servant  of  her 
house  and  confidant  of  her  fortunes,  and  trust  to 
the  chance  afterwards  of  being  rejoined  by  Sir 
John  de  Walton,  with  a  sufficient  party  to  provide 
for  her  safety,  which  she  in  no  respect  doubted  it 
would  be  his  care  to  collect.  She  darted  away 
accordingly  from  the  path  in  which  she  was  ad- 
vancing, and  reached  the  place  where  Bertram, 
with  his  new  acquaintance  Greenleaf,  were  making 


264  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

some  inquiries  of  the  soldiers  of  the  English  gar- 
rison, whom  the  service  of  the  day  had  brought 
there. 

Lady  Augusta  Berkely,  in  the  meantime,  had 
an  opportunity  to  say  privately  to  her  faithful  at- 
tendant and  guide,  "  Take  no  notice  of  me,  friend 
Bertram,  but  take  heed,  if  possible,  that  we  be  not 
again  separated  from  each  other. "  Having  given 
him  this  hint,  she  observed  that  it  was  adopted 
by  the  minstrel,  and  that  he  presently  afterwards 
looked  round  and  set  his  eye  upon  her,  as,  muffled 
in  her  pilgrim's  cloak,  she  slowly  withdrew  to 
another  part  of  the  cemetery,  and  seemed  to  halt, 
until,  detaching  himself  from  Greenleaf,  he  should 
find  an  opportunity  of  joining  her. 

Nothing,  in  truth,  could  have  more  sensibly 
affected  the  faithful  minstrel  than  the  singular 
mode  of  communication  which  acquainted  him  that 
his  mistress  was  safe,  and  at  liberty  to  choose  her 
own  motions,  and,  as  he  might  hope,  disposed 
to  extricate  herself  from  the  dangers  which  sur- 
rounded her  in  Scotland,  by  an  immediate  retreat 
to  her  own  country  and  domain.  He  would  gladly 
have  approached  and  joined  her,  but  she  took  an 
opportunity  by  a  sign  to  caution  him  against  doing 
so,  while  at  the  same  time  he  remained  somewhat 
apprehensive  of  the  consequences  of  bringing  her 
under  the  notice  of  his  new  friend,  Greenleaf,  who 
might  perhaps  think  it  proper  to  busy  himself  so 
as  to  gain  some  favour  with  the  knight  who  was 
at  the  head  of  the  garrison.  Meantime  the  old 
archer  continued  his  conversation  with  Bertram, 
while  the  minstrel,  like  many  other  men  similarly 
situated,  heartily  wished  that  his  well-meaning 
companion   had    been   a   hundred    fathoms   under 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  265 

ground,  so  his  evanisbinent  had  given  him  licence 
to  join  his  mistress ;  but  all  he  had  in  his  power 
was  to  approach  her  as  near  as  he  could,  without 
creating  any  suspicion. 

"  I  would  pray  you,  worthy  minstrel, "  said 
Greenleaf,  after  looking  carefully  round,  "  that  we 
may  prosecute  together  the  theme  which  we  were 
agitating  before  we  came  hither.  Is  it  not  your 
opinion  that  the  Scottish  natives  have  fixed  this 
very  morning  for  some  of  those  dangerous  attempts 
which  they  have  repeatedly  made,  and  which  are 
so  carefully  guarded  against  by  the  governors 
placed  in  this  district  of  Douglas  by  our  good 
King  Edward,   our  rightful  sovereign  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  see, "  replied  the  minstrel,  "  on  what 
grounds  you  found  such  an  apprehension,  or  what 
you  see  here  in  the  churchyard  different  from  that 
you  talked  of  as  we  approached  it,  when  you  held 
me  rather  in  scorn  for  giving  way  to  some  sus- 
picions of  the  same  kind. " 

"  Do  you  not  see, "  added  the  archer,  "  the  num- 
bers of  men,  with  strange  faces,  and  in  various 
disguisements,  who  are  thronging  about  these  an- 
cient ruins,  which  are  usually  so  solitary  ?  Yon- 
der, for  example,  sits  a  boy,  who  seems  to  shun 
observation,  and  whose  dress,  I  will  be  sworn, 
has  never  been  shaped  in  Scotland. " 

"  And  if  he  is  an  English  pilgrim, "  replied  the 
minstrel,  observing  that  the  archer  pointed  towards 
the  Lady  of  Berkely,  "  he  surely  affords  less  matter 
of  suspicion. " 

"  I  know  not  that, "  said  old  Greenleaf,  "  but  I 
think  it  will  be  my  duty  to  inform  Sir  John  de 
Walton,  if  I  can  reach  him,  that  there  are  many 
persons  here  who   in  outward   appearance  neithei 


266  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

belong  to  the  garrison  nor  to  this  part  of  the 
country.  " 

"  Consider, "  said  Bertram,  "  before  you  harass 
with  accusation  a  poor  young  man,  and  subject 
him  to  the  consequences  which  must  necessarily 
attend  upon  suspicions  of  this  nature,  how  many 
circumstances  call  forth  men  peculiarly  to  devotion 
at  this  period.  Not  only  is  this  the  time  of  the 
triumphal  entrance  of  the  founder  of  the  Christian 
religion  into  Jerusalem,  but  the  day  itself  is  called 
Dominica  Confitentium,  or  the  Sunday  of  Confes- 
sors, and  the  palm-tree,  or  the  box  and  yew,  which 
are  used  as  its  substitutes,  and  which  are  distri- 
buted to  the  priests,  are  burnt  solemnly  to  ashes, 
and  those  ashes  distributed  among  the  pious,  by 
the  priests,  upon  the  Ash-Wednesday  of  the  suc- 
ceeding year,  all  which  rites  and  ceremonies  in 
our  country  are  observed,  by  order  of  the  Christian 
Church ;  nor  ought  you,  gentle  archer,  nor  can  you 
without  a  crime,  persecute  those  as  guilty  of 
designs  upon  your  garrison,  who  can  ascribe  their 
presence  here  to  their  desire  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  the  day ;  and  look  ye  at  yon  numerous 
procession  approaching  with  banner  and  cross,  and, 
as  it  appears,  consisting  of  some  Churchman  of 
rank,  and  his  attendants ;  let  us  first  inquire  who 
he  is,  and  it  is  probable  we  shall  find  in  his  name 
and  rank  sufficient  security  for  the  peaceable  and 
orderly  behaviour  of  those  whom  piety  has  this 
day  assembled  at  the  church  of  Douglas. " 

Greenleaf  accordingly  made  the  investigation 
recommended  by  his  companion,  and  received 
information  that  the  holy  man  who  headed  the 
procession  was  no  other  than  the  diocesan  of  the 
district,  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  who  had  come  to 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  267 

give  his  countenance  to  the  rites  with  which  the 
day  was  to  be  sanctified. 

The  prelate  accordingly  entered  the  walls  of  the 
dilapidated  churchyard,  preceded  by  his  cross- 
bearers,  and  attended  by  numbers,  with  boughs  of 
yew  and  other  evergreens,  used  on  the  festivity 
instead  of  palms.  Among  them  the  holy  father 
showered  his  blessing,  accompanied  by  signs  of 
the  cross,  which  were  met  with  devout  exclama- 
tions by  such  of  the  worshippers  as  crowded  around 
him :  "  To  thee,  reverend  father,  we  apply  for 
pardon  for  our  offences,  which  we  humbly  desire 
to  confess  to  thee,  in  order  that  we  may  obtain 
pardon  from  heaven. " 

In  this  manner  the  congregation  and  the  dig- 
nified clergyman  met  together,  exchanging  pious 
greeting,  and  seemingly  intent  upon  nothing  but 
the  rites  of  the  day.  The  acclamations  of  the 
congregation  mingled  with  the  de^p  voice  of  the 
officiating  priest,  dispensing  the  sacred  ritual ; 
the  whole  forming  a  scene  which,  conducted  with 
the  Catholic  skill  and  ceremonial,  was  at  once  im- 
posing and  affecting. 

The  archer,  on  seeing  the  zeal  with  which  the 
people  in  the  churchyard,  as  well  as  a  number  who 
issued  from  the  church,  hastened  proudly  to  salute 
the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  was  rather  ashamed  of 
the  suspicions  which  he  had  entertained  of  the 
sincerity  of  the  good  man's  purpose  in  coming 
hither.  Taking  advantage  of  a  fit  of  devotion, 
not  perhaps  very  common  with  old  Greenleaf,  who 
at  this  moment  thrust  himself  forward  to  share  in 
those  spiritual  advantages  which  the  prelate  was 
dispensing,  Bertram  slipped  clear  of  his  English 
friend,    and,    gliding  to    the   side   of    the    Lady 


268  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Augusta,  exchanged,  by  the  pressure  of  the  hand, 
a  mutual  congratulation  upon  having  rejoined 
company.  On  a  sign  by  the  minstrel,  they  with- 
drew to  the  inside  of  the  church,  so  as  to  remain 
unobserved  amidst  the  crowd,  in  which  they  were 
favoured  by  the  dark  shadows  of  some  parts  of  the 
building. 

The  body  of  the  church,  broken  as  it  was,  and 
hung  round  with  the  armorial  trophies  of  the  last 
Lords  of  Douglas,  furnished  rather  the  appearance 
of  a  sacrilegiously  desecrated  ruin,  than  the  inside 
of  a  holy  place ;  yet  some  care  appeared  to  have 
been  taken  to  prepare  it  for  the  service  of  the  day. 
At  the  lower  end  hung  the  great  escutcheon  of 
William  Lord  of  Douglas,  who  had  lately  died  a 
prisoner  in  England ;  around  that  escutcheon  were 
placed  the  smaller  shields  of  his  sixteen  ancestors, 
and  a  deep  black  shadow  was  diffused  by  the  whole 
mass,  unless  where  relieved  by  the  glance  of  the 
coronets,  or  the  glimmer  of  bearings  particularly 
gay  in  emblazonry.  I  need  not  say  that  in  other 
respects  the  interior  of  the  church  was  much  dis- 
mantled, it  being  the  very  same  place  in  which 
Sir  Aymer  de  Valence  held  an  interview  with  the 
old  sexton ;  and  who  now,  drawing  into  a  separate 
corner  some  of  the  straggling  parties  whom  he  had 
collected  and  brought  to  the  church,  kept  on  the 
alert,  and  appeared  ready  for  an  attack  as  well  at 
midday  as  at  the  witching  hour  of  midnight.  This 
was  the  more  necessary,  as  the  eye  of  Sir  John  de 
Walton  seemed  busied  in  searching  from  one  place 
to  another,  as  if  unable  to  find  the  object  he  was 
in  quest  of,  which  the  reader  will  easily  under- 
stand to  be  the  Lady  Augusta  de  Berkely,  of  whom 
he  had  lost  sight  in  the  pressure  of  the  multitude 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  269 

At  the  eastern  part  of  the  church  was  fitted  up  a 
temporary  altar,  by  the  side  of  which,  arrayed  in  his 
robes,  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow  had  taken  his  place, 
with  such  priests  and  attendants  as  composed  his 
episcopal  retinue.  His  suite  was  neither  numerous 
nor  richly  attired,  nor  did  his  own  appearance  pre- 
sent a  splendid  specimen  of  the  wealth  and  dignity 
of  the  episcopal  order.  When  he  laid  down,  how- 
ever, his  golden  cross,  at  the  stern  command  of 
the  King  of  England,  that  of  simple  wood,  which 
he  assumed  instead  thereof,  did  not  possess  less 
authority,  nor  command  less  awe  among  the  clergy 
and  people  of  the  diocese. 

The  various  persons,  natives  of  Scotland,  now 
gathered  around,  seemed  to  watch  his  motions,  as 
those  of  a  descended  saint,  and  the  English  waited 
in  mute  astonishment,  apprehensive  that  at  some 
unexpected  signal  an  attack  would  be  made  upon 
them,  either  by  the  powers  of  earth  or  heaven,  or 
perhaps  by  both  in  combination.  The  truth  is, 
that  so  great  was  the  devotion  of  the  Scottish 
clergy  of  the  higher  ranks  to  the  interests  of  the 
party  of  Bruce,  that  the  English  had  become 
jealous  of  permitting  them  to  interfere  even  with 
those  ceremonies  of  the  Church  which  were  placed 
under  their  proper  management,  and  thence  the 
presence  of  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  officiating  at 
a  high  festival  in  the  church  of  Douglas,  was  a 
circumstance  of  rare  occurrence,  and  not  unat- 
tended both  with  wonder  and  suspicion.  A  coun- 
cil of  the  Church,  however,  had  lately  called  the 
distinguished  prelates  of  Scotland  to  the  discharge 
of  their  duty  on  the  festivity  of  Palm  Sunday,  and 
neither  English  nor  Scottish  saw  the  ceremony 
with   indifference.     An   unwonted   silence   which 


270  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

prevailed  in  the  church,  filled,  as  it  appeared, 
with  persons  of  different  views,  hopes,  wishes,  and 
expectations,  resembled  one  of  those  solemn  pauses 
which  often  take  place  before  a  strife  of  the  ele- 
ments, and  are  well  understood  to  be  the  fore- 
runners of  some  dreadful  concussion  of  nature. 
All  animals,  according  to  their  various  nature, 
express  their  sense  of  the  approaching  tempest; 
the  cattle,  the  deer,  and  other  inhabitants  of  the 
walks  of  the  forest,  withdraw  to  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  their  pastures ;  the  sheep  crowd  into 
their  fold ;  and  the  dull  stupor  of  universal  nature, 
whether  animate  or  inanimate,  presages  its  speedily 
awaking  into  general  convulsion  and  disturbance, 
when  the  lurid  lightning  shall  hiss  at  command  of 
the  diapason  of  the  thunder. 

It  was  thus  that,  in  deep  suspense,  those  who 
had  come  to  the  church  in  arms  at  the  summons  of 
Douglas,  awaited  and  expected  every  moment  a 
signal  to  attack ;  while  the  soldiers  of  the  English 
garrison,  aware  of  the  evil  disposition  of  the 
natives  towards  them,  were  reckoning  every  mo- 
ment when  the  well-known  shout  of  "  Bows  and 
bills !  "  should  give  signal  for  a  general  conflict, 
and  both  parties,  gazing  fiercely  upon  each  other, 
seemed  to  expect  the  fatal  onset. 

Notwithstanding  the  tempest,  which  appeared 
every  moment  ready  to  burst,  the  Bishop  of  Glas- 
gow proceeded  with  the  utmost  solemnity  to  per- 
form the  ceremonies  proper  to  the  day ;  he  paused 
from  time  to  time  to  survey  the  throng,  as  if  to 
calculate  whether  the  turbulent  passions  of  those 
around  him  would  be  so  long  kept  under  as  to 
admit  of  his  duties  being  brought  to  a  close  in  a 
manner  becoming  the  time  and  place. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  271 

The  prelate  had  just  concluded  the  service,  when 
a  person  advanced  towards  him  with  a  solemn  and 
mournful  aspect,  and  asked  if  the  reverend  father 
could  devote  a  few  moments  to  administer  comfort 
to  a  dying  man  who  was  lying  wounded  close  by. 

The  Churchman  signified  a  ready  acquiescence, 
amidst  a  stillness  which,  when  he  surveyed  the 
lowering  brows  of  one  party  at  least  of  those  who 
were  in  the  church,  boded  no  peaceable  termina- 
tion to  this  fated  day.  The  father  motioned  to 
the  messenger  to  show  him  the  way,  and  proceeded 
on  his  mission,  attended  by  some  of  those  who 
were  understood  to  be  followers  of  the  Douglas. 

There  was  something  peculiarly  striking,  if  not 
suspicious,  in  the  interview  which  followed.  In 
a  subterranean  vault  was  deposited  the  person  of 
a  large  tall  man,  whose  blood  flowed  copiously 
through  two  or  three  ghastly  wounds,  and  streamed 
amongst  the  trusses  of  straw  on  which  he  lay ; 
while  his  features  exhibited  a  mixture  of  sternness 
and  ferocity,  which  seemed  prompt  to  kindle  into 
a  still  more  savage  expression. 

The  reader  will  probably  conjecture  that  the 
person  in  question  was  no  other  than  Michael 
Turnbull,  who,  wounded  in  the  rencounter  of  the 
morning,  had  been  left  by  some  of  his  friends  upon 
the  straw,  which  was  arranged  for  him  by  way  of 
couch,  to  live  or  die  as  he  best  could.  The  pre- 
late, on  entering  the  vault,  lost  no  time  in  calling 
the  attention  of  the  wounded  man  to  the  state  of 
his  spiritual  affairs,  and  assisting  him  to  such 
comfort  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  directed 
should  be  administered  to  departing  sinners.  The 
words  exchanged  between  them  were  of  that  grave 
and   severe   character  which   passes   between   the 


272  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

ghostly  father  and  his  pupil,  when  one  world  is 
rolling  away  from  the  view  of  the  sinner,  and 
another  is  displaying  itself  in  all  its  terrors,  and 
thundering  in  the  ear  of  the  penitent  that  retribu- 
tion which  the  deeds  done  in  the  flesh  must  needs 
prepare  him  to  expect.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
solemn  meetings  which  can  take  place  between 
earthly  beings ;  and  the  courageous  character  of 
the  Jedwood  forester,  as  well  as  the  benevolent 
and  pious  expression  of  the  old  Churchman,  con- 
siderably enhanced  the  pathos  of  the  scene. 

' "  Turnbull, "  said  the  Churchman,  "  I  trust  you 
will  believe  me  when  I  say,  that  it  grieves  my 
heart  to  see  thee  brought  to  this  situation  by 
wounds  which,  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you,  you 
must  consider  mortal. " 

"  Is  the  chase  ended,  then  ? "  said  the  Jedwood 
man  with  a  sigh.  "  I  care  not,  good  father,  for  I 
think  I  have  borne  me  as  becomes  a  gallant  quarry, 
and  that  the  old  forest  has  lost  no  credit  by  me, 
whether  in  pursuit  or  in  bringing  to  bay ;  and 
even  in  this  last  matter,  methinks  this  gay  English 
knight  would  not  have  come  off  with  such  advan- 
tage, had  the  ground  on  which  we  stood  been  alike 
indifferent  to  both,  or  had  I  been  aware  of  his 
onset;  but  it  will  be  seen,  by  any  one  who  takes 
the  trouble  to  examine,  that  poor  Michael  Turn- 
bull's  foot  slipped  twice  in  the  meUcj  otherwise  it 
had  not  been  his  fate  to  be  lying  here  in  the  dead- 
thraw;^  while  yonder  Southron  would  probably 
have  died  like  a  dog,  upon  this  bloody  straw,  in 
his  place. " 

The  bishop  replied,  advising  his  penitent  to 
turn  from  vindictive  thoughts  respecting  the  death 

1  Or  death  agony. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  273 

of  others,  and  endeavour  to  fix  his  attention  upon 
his  own  departure  from  existence,  which  seemed 
shortly  about  to  take  place. 

"  Nay, "  replied  the  wounded  man,  "  you,  father, 
undoubtedly  know  best  what  is  fit  for  me  to  do ; 
yet  methinks  it  would  not  be  very  well  with  me, 
if  I  had  prolonged  to  this  time  of  day  the  task  of 
revising  my  life,  and  I  am  not  the  man  to  deny 
that  mine  has  been  a  bloody  and  a  desperate  one. 
But  you  will  grant  me  I  never  bore  malice  to  a 
brave  enemy  for  having  done  me  an  injury,  and 
show  me  the  man,  being  a  Scotchman  born,  and 
having  a  natural  love  for  his  own  country,  who 
hath  not,  in  these  times,  rather  preferred  a  steel 
cap  to  a  hat  and  feather,  or  who  hath  not  been 
more  conversant  with  drawn  blades  than  with 
prayer-book;  and  you  yourself  know,  father, 
whether,  in  our  proceedings  against  the  English 
interest,  we  have  not  uniformly  had  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  sincere  fathers  of  the  Scottish 
Church,  and  whether  we  have  not  been  exhorted 
to  take  arms  and  make  use  of  them  for  the  honour 
of  the  King  of  Scotland,  and  the  defence  of.  our 
own  rights. " 

"  Undoubtedly, "  said  the  prelate,  "  such  have 
been  our  exhortations  towards  our  oppressed  coun- 
trymen, nor  do  I  now  teach  you  a  different  doc- 
trine ;  nevertheless,  having  now  blood  around  me, 
and  a  dying  man  before  me,  I  have  need  to  pray 
that  I  have  not  been  misled  from  the  true  path, 
and  thus  become  the  means  of  misdirecting  others. 
May  Heaven  forgive  me  if  I  have  done  so,  since 
I  have  only  to  plead  my  sincere  and  honest  inten- 
tion in  excuse  for  the  erroneous  counsel  which  I 
may  have  given  to  you  and  others  touching  these 

18 


274  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

wars.  I  am  conscious  that,  encouraging  you  so  to 
stain  your  swords  in  blood,  I  have  departed  in 
some  degree  from  the  character  of  my  profession, 
which  enjoins  that  we  neither  shed  blood  nor  are 
the  occasion  of  its  being  shed.  May  Heaven 
enable  us  to  obey  our  duties,  and  to  repent  of 
our  errors,  especially  such  as  have  occasioned  the 
death  or  distress  of  our  fellow-creatures!  And, 
above  all,  may  this  dying  Christian  become  aware 
of  his  errors,  and  repent  with  sincerity  of  having 
done  to  others  that  which  he  would  not  willingly 
have  suffered  at  their  hand !  " 

"  For  that  matter, "  answered  Turnbull,  "  the 
time  has  never  been  when  I  would  not  exchange  a 
blow  with  the  best  man  who  ever  lived ;  and  if  I 
was  not  in  constant  practice  of  the  sword,  it  was 
because  I  have  been  brought  up  to  the  use  of  the 
Jedwood-axe,  which  the  English  call  a  partisan, 
and  which  makes  little  difference,  I  understand, 
from  the  sword  and  poniard. " 

**  The  distinction  is  not  great, "  said  the  bishop ; 
"  but  I  fear,  my  friend,  that  life  taken  with  what 
you  call  a  Jedwood-axe,  gives  you  no  privilege 
over  him  who  commits  the  same  deed,'  and  inflicts 
the  same  injury,  with  any  other  weapon. " 

"  Nay,  worthy  father, "  said  the  penitent,  "  I 
must  own  that  the  effect  of  the  weapons  is  the 
same,  as  far  as  concerns  the  man  who  suffers ;  but 
I  would  pray  of  you  information,  why  a  Jedwood 
man  ought  not  to  use,  as  is  the  custom  of  his 
country,  a  Jedwood-axe,  being,  as  is  implied  in 
the  name,  the  offensive  weapon  proper  to  his 
country  ? " 

"  The  crime  of  murder, "  said  the  bishop,  "  con- 
sists not  in  the  weapon  with  which  the  crime  is 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  275 

inflicted,  but  in  the  pain  which  the  murderer 
inflicts  upon  his  fellow-creature,  and  the  breach 
of  good  order  which  he  introduces  into  Heaven's 
lovely  and  peaceable  creation ;  and  it  is  by  turning 
your  repentance  upon  this  crime  that  you  may 
fairly  expect  to  propitiate  Heaven  for  your  offences, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  escape  the  consequences 
which  are  denounced  in  Holy  Writ  against  those 
by  whom  man's  blood  shall  be  shed. " 

"  But,  good  father, "  said  the  wounded  man, 
"  you  know  as  well  as  any  one,  that  in  this  com- 
pany, and  in  this  very  church,  there  are  upon  the 
watch  scores  of  both  Scotchmen  and  Englishmen, 
who  come  here  not  so  much  to  discharge  the  reli- 
gious duties  of  the  day,  as  literally  to  bereave 
each  other  of  their  lives,  and  give  a  new  example 
of  the  horror  of  those  feuds  which  the  two  extre- 
mities of  Britain  nourish  against  each  other. 
What  conduct,  then,  is  a  poor  man  like  me  to 
hold  ?  Am  I  not  to  raise  this  hand  against  the 
English,  which  methinks  I  still  can  make  a  tole- 
rably efficient  one  —  or  am  I,  for  the  first  time  in 
my  life,  to  hear  the  war-cry  when  it  is  raised,  and 
hold  back  my  sword  from  the  slaughter?  Me- 
thinks it  will  be  difficult,  perhaps  altogether 
impossible,  for  me  to  do  so;  but  if  such  is  the 
pleasure  of  Heaven,  and  your  advice,  most  reverend 
father,  unquestionably  I  must  do  my  best  to  be 
governed  by  your  directions,  as  of  one  who  has  a 
right  and  title  to  direct  us  in  every  dilemma,  or 
case,  as  they  term  it,   of  troubled  conscience. " 

"  Unquestionably, "  said  the  bishop,  "  it  is  my 
duty,  as  I  have  already  said,  to  give  no  occasion 
this  day  for  the  shedding  of  blood,  or  the  breach 
of  peace ;  and  I  must  charge  you,  as  my  penitent, 


276  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

that  upon  your  soul's  safety,  you  do  not  ministei 
any  occasion  to  affray  or  bloodshed,  either  by 
maintaining  such  in  your  own  person,  or  inciting 
others  to  the  same ;  for  by  following  a  different 
course  of  advice,  I  am  certain  that  you,  as  well  as 
myself,  would  act  sinfully  and  out  of  character. " 

"  So  I  will  endeavour  to  think,  reverend  father, " 
answered  the  huntsman ;  "  nevertheless,  I  hope  it 
will  be  remembered  in  my  favour  that  I  am  the 
first  person  bearing  the  surname  of  Turnbull,  to- 
gether with  the  proper  name  of  the  Prince  of  Arch- 
angels himself,  who  has  at  any  time  been  able  to 
sustain  the  affront  occasioned  by  the  presence  of  a 
Southron  with  a  drawn  sword,  and  was  not  thereby 
provoked  to  pluck  forth  his  own  weapon,  and  to  lay 
about  him. " 

"  Take  care,  my  son, "  returned  the  Prelate  of 
Glasgow,  "  and  observe,  that  even  now  thou  art 
departing  from  those  resolutions  which,  but  a  few 
minutes  since,  thou  didst  adopt  upon  serious  and 
just  consideration;  wherefore  do  not  be,  O  my 
son !  like  the  sow  that  has  wallowed  in  the  mire, 
and,  having  been  washed,  repeats  its  act  of  pollu- 
tion, and  becomes  again  yet  fouler  than  it  was 
before. " 

"Well,  reverend  father,"  replied  the  wounded 
man,  "  although  it  seems  almost  unnatural  for 
Scottish  men  and  English  to  meet  and  part  with- 
out a  buffet,  yet  I  will  endeavour  most  faithfully 
not  to  minister  any  occasion  of  strife,  nor,  if  pos- 
sible, to  snatch  at  any  such  occasion  as  shall  be 
ministered  to  me." 

"  In  doing  so, "  returned  the  bishop,  "  thou  wilt 
best  atone  for  the  injury  which  thou  hast  done  to 
the  law  of  Heaven  upon  former  occasions,  and  thou 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  277 

shalt  prevent  the  causes  for  strife  betwixt  thee 
and  thy  brethren  of  the  southern  land,  and  shalt 
eschew  the  temptation  towards  that  blood-guilti- 
ness which  is  so  rife  in  this  our  day  and  genera- 
tion. And  do  not  think  that  I  am  imposing  upon 
thee,  by  these  admonitions,  a  duty  more  difficult 
than  it  is  in  thy  covenant  to  bear,  as  a  man  and  as 
a  Christian.  I  myself  am  a  man,  and  a  Scotch- 
man, and,  as  such,  I  feel  offended  at  the  unjust 
conduct  of  the  English  towards  our  country  and 
sovereign ;  and  thinking  as  you  do  yourself,  I 
know  what  you  must  suffer  when  you  are  obliged 
to  submit  to  national  insults,  unretaliated  and 
unrevenged.  But  let  us  not  conceive  ourselves  the 
agents  of  that  retributive  vengeance  which  Heaven 
has,  in  a  peculiar  degree,  declared  to  be  its  own 
attribute.  Let  us,  while  we  see  and  feel  the 
injuries  inflicted  on  our  own  country,  not  forget 
that  our  own  raids,  ambuscades,  and  surprisals 
have  been  at  least  equally  fatal  to  the  English  as 
their  attacks  and  forays  have  been  to  us ;  and,  in 
short,  let  the  mutual  injuries  of  the  crosses  of  St. 
Andrew  and  of  St.  George  be  no  longer  considered 
as  hostile  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  opposite  dis- 
trict, at  least  during  the  festivals  of  religion ;  but 
as  they  are  mutually  signs  of  redemption,  let  them 
be,  in  like  manner,  intimations  of  forbearance  and 
peace  on  both  sides.  " 

"  I  am  contented, "  answered  Turnbull,  "  to  ab- 
stain from  all  offences  towards  others,  and  shall 
even  endeavour  to  keep  myself  from  resenting 
those  of  others  towards  me,  in  the  hope  of  bringing 
to  pass  such  a  quiet  and  godly  state  of  things  as 
your  words,  reverend  father,  induce  me  to  expect. " 
Turning  his  face  to  the  wall,  the  Borderer  lay  in 


278  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

stern  expectation  of  approaching  death,  which  the 
bishop  left  him  to  contemplate. 

The  peaceful  disposition  which  the  prelate  had 
inspired  into  Michael  Turnbull  had  in  some  degree 
diffused  itself  among  those  present,  who  heard 
with  awe  the  spiritual  admonition  to  suspend  the 
national  antipathy,  and  remain  in  truce  and  amity 
with  each  other.  Heaven  had,  however,  decreed 
that  the  national  quarrel,  in  which  so  much  blood 
had  been  sacrificed,  should  that  day  again  be  the 
occasion  of  deadly  strife. 

A  loud  flourish  of  trumpets,  seeming  to  proceed 
from  beneath  the  earth,  now  rang  through  the 
church,  and  roused  the  attention  of  the  soldiers 
and  worshippers  then  assembled.  Most  of  those 
who  heard  these  warlike  sounds  betook  themselves 
to  their  weapons,  as  if  they  considered  it  useless 
to  wait  any  longer  for  the  signal  of  conflict. 
Hoarse  voices,  rude  exclamations,  the  rattle  of 
swords  against  their  sheaths,  or  their  clashing 
against  other  pieces  of  armour,  gave  an  awful 
presage  of  an  onset,  which,  however,  was  for  a 
time  averted  by  the  exhortations  of  the  bishop.  A 
second  flourish  of  trumpets  having  taken  place, 
the  voice  of  a  herald  made  proclamation  to  the 
following  purpose :  — 

"  That  whereas  there  were  many  noble  pursui- 
vants of  chivalry  presently  assembled  in  the  Kirk 
of  Douglas,  and  whereas  there  existed  among  them 
the  usual  causes  of  quarrel  and  points  of  debate 
for  their  advancement  in  chivalry,  therefore  the 
Scottish  knights  were  ready  to  fight  any  number 
of  the  English  who  might  be  agreed,  either  upon 
the  superior  beauty  of  their  ladies,  or  upon  the 
national  quarrel  in  any  of  its  branches,  or  upon 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  279 

whatsoever  point  might  be  at  issue  between  them, 
which  should  be  deemed  satisfactory  ground  of 
quarrel  by  both;  and  the  knights  who  should 
chance  to  be  worsted  in  such  dispute  should  re- 
nounce the  prosecution  thereof,  or  the  bearing  arms 
therein  thereafter,  with  such  other  conditions  to 
ensue  upon  their  defeat  as  might  be  agreed  upon 
by  a  council  of  the  knights  present  at  the  Kirk  of 
Douglas  aforesaid.  But  foremost  of  all,  any  num- 
ber of  Scottish  knights,  from  one  to  twenty,  will 
defend  the  quarrel  which  has  already  drawn  blood, 
touching  the  freedom  of  Lady  Augusta  de  Berkely, 
and  the  rendition  of  Douglas  Castle  to  the  owner 
here  present.  Wherefore  it  is  required  that  the 
English  knights  do  intimate  their  consent  that 
such  trial  of  valour  take  place,  which,  according 
to  the  rules  of  chivalry,  they  cannot  refuse,  with- 
out losing  utterly  the  reputation  of  valour,  and 
incurring  the  diminution  of  such  other  degree  of 
estimation  as  a  courageous  pursuivant  of  arms 
would  willingly  be  held  in,  both  by  the  good 
knights  of  his  own  country,  and  those  of  others. " 

This  unexpected  gage  of  battle  realised  the  worst 
fears  of  those  who  had  looked  with  suspicion  on 
the  extraordinary  assemblage  this  day  of  the  de- 
pendants of  the  House  of  Douglas.  After  a  short 
pause,  the  trumpets  again  flourished  lustily,  when 
the  reply  of  the  English  knights  was  made  in  the 
following  terms :  — 

"  That  God  forbid  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
England's  knights,  and  the  beauty  of  her  damsels, 
should  not  be  asserted  by  her  children,  or  that 
such  English  knights  as  were  here  assembled 
should  show  the  least  backwardness  to  accept  the 
combat  offered,  whether  grounded  upon  the  supe- 


28o  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

rior  beauty  of  their  ladies,  or  whether  upon  the 
causes  of  dispute  between  the  countries,  for  either 
or  all  of  which  the  knights  of  England  here  present 
were  willing  to  do  battle  in  the  terms  of  the  in- 
denture aforesaid,  while  sword  and  lance  shall 
endure.  Saving  and  excepting  the  surrender  of 
the  Castle  of  Douglas,  which  can  be  rendered  to 
no  one  but  England's  king,  or  those  acting  under 
his  orders.  '^ 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Cry  the  wild  war-note,  let  the  champions  pass, 

Do  bravely  each,  and  God  defend  the  right ; 

Upon  Saint  Andrew  thrice  can  they  thus  cry. 

And  thrice  they  shout  on  height, 

And  then  marked  them  on  the  Englishmen, 

As  I  have  told  you  right. 

Saint  George  the  bright,  our  ladies'  knight, 

To  name  they  were  full  fain ; 

Our  Englishmen  they  cried  on  height, 

And  thrice  they  shout  again. 

Old  Ballad. 

The  extraordinary  crisis  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  was  the  cause,  as  may  be  supposed, 
of  the  leaders  on  both  sides  now  throwing  aside 
all  concealment,  and  displaying  their  utmost 
strength,  by  marshalling  their  respective  adhe- 
rents. The  renowned  Knight  of  Douglas,  with  Sir 
Malcolm  Fleming  and  other  distinguished  cava- 
liers, were  seen  in  close  consultation. 

Sir  John  de  Walton,  startled  by  the  first  flourish 
of  trumpets,  while  anxiously  endeavouring  to 
secure  a  retreat  for  the  Lady  Augusta,  was  in  a 
moment  seen  collecting  his  followers,  in  which  he 
was  assisted  by  the  active  friendship  of  the  Knight 
of  Valence. 

The  Lady  of  Berkely  showed  no  craven  spirit  at 
these  warlike  preparations;  she  advanced,  closely 
followed  by  the  faithful  Bertram,  and  a  female  in 
a  riding-hood,  whose  face,  though  carefully  con- 
cealed, was  no  other  than  that  of  the  unfortunate 


282  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  whose  worst  fears  had  been 
realised  as  to  the  faithlessness  of  her  betrothed 
knight. 

A  pause  ensued,  which  for  some  time  no  one 
present  thought  himself  of  authority  sufficient  to 
break. 

At  last  the  Knight  of  Douglas  stepped  forward 
and  said,  loudly,  "  I  wait  to  know  whether  Sir 
John  de  Walton  requests  leave  of  James  of  Douglas 
to  evacuate  his  castle  without  further  wasting  that 
daylight  which  might  show  us  to  judge  a  fair 
field,  and  whether  he  craves  Douglas's  protection 
in  doing  so  ?  " 

The  Knight  of  Walton  drew  his  sword.  "  I 
hold  the  Castle  of  Douglas, "  he  said,  "  in  spite  of 
all  deadly,  —  and  never  will  I  ask  the  protection 
from  any  one  which  my  own  sword  is  competent 
to  afford  me !  " 

"  I  stand  by  you.  Sir  John, "  said  Aymer  de 
Valence,  "  as  your  true  comrade,  against  whatever 
odds  may  oppose  themselves  to  us. " 

"Courage,  noble  English,"  said  the  voice  of 
Greenleaf;  "take  your  weapons,  in  God's  name. 
Bows  and  bills  I  bows  and  bills !  —  A  messenger 
brings  us  notice  that  Pembroke  is  in  full  march 
hither  from  the  borders  of  Ayrshire,  and  will  be 
with  us  in  half  an  hour.  Fight  on,  gallant  Eng- 
lish !  Valence  to  the  rescue !  and  long  life  to  the 
gallant  Earl  of  Pembroke!" 

Those  English  within  and  around  the  church 
no  longer  delayed  to  take  arms,  and  De  Walton, 
crying  out  at  the  height  of  his  voice,  "  I  implore 
the  Douglas  to  look  nearly  to  the  safety  of  the 
ladies,"  fought  his  way  to  the  church  door;  the 
Scottish  finding  themselves  unable  to  resist  the  im- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  283 

pression  of  terror  which  affected  them  at  the  sight 
of  this  renowned  knight,  seconded  by  his  biother- 
in-arms,  both  of  whom  had  been  so  long  the  terror 
of  the  district.  In  the  meantime,  it  is  possible 
that  De  Walton  might  altogether  have  forced  his 
way  out  of  the  church,  had  he  not  been  met  boldly 
by  the  young  son  of  Thomas  Dickson  of  Hazelside, 
while  his  father  was  receiving  from  Douglas  the 
charge  of  preserving  the  stranger  ladies  from  all 
harm  from  the  fight,  which,  so  long  suspended, 
was  now  on  the  point  of  taking  place. 

De  Walton  cast  his  eye  upon  the  Lady  Augusta, 
with  a  desire  of  rushing  to  the  rescue,  but  was 
forced  to  conclude  that  he  provided  best  for  her 
safety  by  leaving  her  under  the  protection  of 
Douglas's  honour. 

Young  Dickson,  in  the  meantime,  heaped  blow 
on  blow,  seconding  with  all  his  juvenile  courage 
every  effort  he  could  make,  in  order  to  attain  the 
prize  due  to  the  conqueror  of  the  renowned  De 
Walton. 

"  Silly  boy, "  at  length  said  Sir  John,  who  had 
for  some  time  forborne  the  stripling,  "  take,  then, 
thy  death  from  a  noble  hand,  since  thou  preferrest 
that  to  peace  and  length  of  days. " 

"  I  care  not, "  said  the  Scottish  youth,  with  his 
dying  breath ;  "  I  have  lived  long  enough,  since  I 
have  kept  you  so  long  in  the  place  where  you  now 
stand. " 

And  the  youth  said  truly,  for  as  he  fell,  never 
again  to  rise,  the  Douglas  stood  in  his  place,  and, 
without  a  word  spoken,  again  engaged  with  De 
Walton  in  the  same  formidable  single  combat  by 
which  they  had  already  been  distinguished,  but 
with   even   additional   fury.     Aymer  de  Valence 


284  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

drew  up  to  his  friend  De  Walton's  left  hand,  and 
seemed  but  to  desire  the  apology  of  one  of  Douglas's 
people  attempting  to  second  him,  to  join  in  the 
fray ;  but  as  he  saw  no  person  who  seemed  disposed 
to  give  him  such  opportunity,  he  repressed  the 
inclination,  and  remained  an  unwilling  spectator. 
At  length  it  seemed  as  if  Fleming,  who  stood  fore- 
most among  the  Scottish  knights,  was  desirous  to 
measure  his  sword  with  De  Valence.  Aymer  him- 
self, burning  with  the  desire  of  combat,  at  last 
called  out,  "  Faithless  Knight  of  Boghall !  step 
forth  and  defend  yourself  against  the  imputation 
of  having  deserted  your  lady  love,  and  of  being  a 
mansworn  disgrace   to  the  rolls  of  chivalry !  " 

"My  answer,"  said  Fleming,  "even  to  a  less 
gross  taunt,  hangs  by  my  side. "  In  an  instant 
his  sword  was  in  his  hand,  and  even  the  prac- 
tised warriors  who  looked  on  felt  difficulty  in  dis- 
covering the  progress  of  the  strife,  which  rather 
resembled  a  thunder-storm  in  a  mountainous  coun- 
try than  the  stroke  and  parry  of  two  swords, 
offending  on  the  one  side,  and  keeping  the  defen- 
sive on  the  other. 

Their  blows  were  exchanged  with  surprising  ra- 
pidity ;  and  although  the  two  combatants  did  not 
equal  Douglas  and  De  Walton  in  maintaining  a 
certain  degree  of  reserve,  founded  upon  a  respect 
which  these  knights  mutually  entertained  for  each 
other,  yet  the  want  of  art  was  supplied  by  a  degree 
of  fury  which  gave  chance  at  least  an  equal  share 
in  the  issue. 

Seeing  their  superiors  thus  desperately  engaged, 
the  partisans,  as  they  were  accustomed,  stood  still 
on  either  side,  and  looked  on  with  the  reverence 
which  they  instinctively  paid  to  their  commanders 


CASTLE   DANGEROUS.  285 

and  leaders  in  arms.  One  or  two  of  the  women 
were  in  the  meanwhile  attracted,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  sex,  by  compassion  for  those  who 
had  already  experienced  the  casualties  of  war. 
Young  Dickson,  breathing  his  last  among  the  feet 
of  the  combatants,^  was  in  some  sort  rescued  from 
the  tumult  by  the  Lady  of  Berkely,  in  whom  the 
action  seemed  less  strange,  owing  to  the  pilgrim's 
dress  which  she  still  retained,  and  who  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  solicit  the  attention  of  the  boy's 
father  to  the  task  in  which  she  was  engaged. 

"  Cumber  yourself  not,  lady,  about  that  which 
is  bootless, "  said  old  Dickson,  "  and  distract  not 
your  own  attention  and  mine  from  preserving  you, 
whom  it  is  the  Douglas's  wish  to  rescue,  and  whom, 
so  please  God  and  St.  Bride,  I  consider  as  placed 
by  my  chieftain  under  my  charge.  Believe  me, 
this  youth's  death  is  in  no  way  forgotten,  though 
this  be  not  the  time  to  remember  it.  A  time  will 
come  for  recollection,  and  an  hour  for  revenge.  " 

1  prhe  fall  of  this  brave  stripling  by  the  hand  of  the  English 
governor,  and  the  stern  heroism  of  the  father  in  turning  from  the 
spot  where  he  lay,  "a  model  of  beauty  and  strength,"  that  he 
might  not  be  withdrawn  from  the  duty  which  Douglas  had  as- 
signed him  of  protecting  the  Lady  of  Berkely,  excites  an  interest 
for  both,  with  which  it  is  almost  to  be  regretted  that  history  inter- 
feres. It  was  the  old  man,  Thomas  Dickson,  not  his  son,  who  fell. 
The  slogan,  "  A  Douglas,  a  Douglas ! "  having  been  prematurely 
raised,  Dickson,  who  was  within  the  church,  thinking  that  his 
young  Lord  with  his  armed  band  was  at  hand,  drew  his  sword, 
and,  with  only  one  man  to  assist  him,  opposed  the  English,  who 
now  rushed  to  the  door.  Cut  across  the  middle  by  an  English 
sword,  he  still  continued  his  opposition,  till  he  fell  lifeless  at  the 
threshold.  Such  is  the  tradition,  and  it  is  supported  by  a  memorial 
of  some  authority  —  a  tombstone,  still  to  be  seen  in  the  churchyard 
of  Douglas,  on  which  is  sculptured  a  figure  of  Dickson,  supporting 
with  his  left  arm  his  protruding  entrails,  and  raising  his  sword 
with  the  other  in  the  attitude  of  combat.] — Note  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Stewart  of  Douglas. 


286  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

So  said  the  stern  old  man,  reverting  his  eyes 
from  the  bloody  corpse  which  lay  at  his  feet,  a 
model  of  beauty  and  strength.  Having  taken  one 
more  anxious  look,  he  turned  round,  and  placed 
himself  where  he  could  best  protect  the  Lady  of 
Berkely,  not  again  turning  his  eyes  on  his  son's 
body. 

In  the  interim  the  combat  continued,  without 
the  least  cessation  on  either  side,  and  without 
a  decided  advantage.  At  length,  however,  fate 
seemed  disposed  to  interfere;  the  Knight  of 
Fleming,  pushing  fiercely  forward,  and  brought 
by  chance  almost  close  to  the  person  of  the  Lady 
Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  missed  his  blow,  and  his 
foot  sliding  in  the  blood  of  the  young  victim, 
Dickson,  he  fell  before  his  antagonist,  and  was 
in  imminent  danger  of  being  at  his  mercy,  when 
Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  who  inherited  the  soul  of  a 
warrior,  and,  besides,  was  a  very  strong  as  well  as 
an  undaunted  person,  seeing  a  mace  of  no  great 
weight  lying  on  the  floor,  where  it  had  been 
dropped  by  the  fallen  Dickson,  it,  at  the  same 
instant,  caught  her  eye,  armed  her  hand,  and  in- 
tercepted, or  struck  down  the  sword  of  Sir  Aymer 
de  Valence,  who  would  otherwise  have  remained 
the  master  of  the  day  at  that  interesting  moment. 
Fleming  had  more  to  do  to  avail  himself  of  an 
unexpected  chance  of  recovery  than  to  make  a 
commentary  upon  the  manner  in  which  it  had 
been  so  singularly  brought  about;  he  instantly 
recovered  the  advantage  he  had  lost,  and  was  able 
in  the  ensuing  close  to  trip  up  the  feet  of  his  anta- 
gonist, who  fell  on  the  pavement,  while  the  voice 
of  his  conqueror,  if  he  could  properly  be  termed 
such,  resounded  through  the  church  with  the  fatal 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  287 

words,  "  Yield  thee,  Aymer  de  Valence  —  rescue 
or  no  rescue  —  yield  thee  !  —  yield  thee !  "  he 
added,  as  he  placed  his  sword  to  the  throat  of  the 
fallen  knight,  "  not  to  me,  but  to  this  noble  lady 
—  rescue  or  no  rescue. " 

With  a  heavy  heart  the  English  knight  per- 
ceived that  he  had  fairly  lost  so  favourable  an 
opportunity  of  acquiring  fame,  and  was  obliged  to 
submit  to  his  destiny,  or  be  slain  upon  the  spot. 
There  was  only  one  consolation,  that  no  battle  was 
ever  more  honourably  sustained,  being  gained  as 
much  by  accident  as  by  valour. 

The  fate  of  the  protracted  and  desperate  combat 
between  Douglas  and  De  Walton  did  not  much 
longer  remain  in  suspense ;  indeed,  the  number  of 
conquests  in  single  combat  achieved  by  the  Douglas 
in  these  wars  was  so  great,  as  to  make  it  doubtful 
whether  he  was  not,  in  personal  strength  and 
skill,  even  a  superior  knight  to  Bruce  himself,  and 
he  was  at  least  acknowledged  nearly  his  equal  in 
the  art  of  war. 

So  however  it  was,  that  when  three  quarters  of 
an  hour  had  passed  in  hard  contest,  Douglas  and 
De  Walton,  whose  nerves  were  not  actually  of 
iron,  began  to  show  some  signs  that  their  human 
bodies  were  feeling  the  effect  of  the  dreadful  exer- 
tion. Their  blows  began  to  be  drawn  more  slowly, 
and  were  parried  with  less  celerity.  Douglas, 
seeing  that  the  combat  must  soon  come  to  an  end, 
generously  made  a  signal,  intimating  to  his  an- 
tagonist to  hold  his  hand  for  an  instant. 

"  Brave  de  Walton, "  he  said,  "  there  is  no  mortal 
quarrel  between  us,  and  you  must  be  sensible  that 
in  this  passage  of  arms,  Douglas,  though  he  is 
only  worth  his  sword  and  his  cloak,  has  abstained 


288  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

from  taking  a  decisive  advantage  when  the  chance 
of  arms  has  more  than  once  offered  it.  My 
father's  house,  the  broad  domains  around  it,  the 
dwelling,  and  the  graves  of  my  ancestors,  form  a 
reasonable  reward  for  a  knight  to  fight  for,  and 
call  upon  me  in  an  imperative  voice  to  prosecute 
the  strife  which  has  such  an  object,  while  you  are 
as  welcome  to  the  noble  lady,  in  all  honour  and 
safety,  as  if  you  had  received  her  from  the  hands 
of  King  Edward  himself ;  and  I  give  you  my  word, 
that  the  utmost  honours  which  can  attend  a  pri- 
soner, and  a  careful  absence  of  everything  like 
injury  or  insult,  shall  attend  De  Walton  when  he 
yields  up  the  castle,  as  well  as  his  sword,  to  James 
of  Douglas. " 

"  It  is  the  fate  to  which  I  am  perhaps  doomed, " 
replied  Sir  John  de  Walton ;  "  but  never  will  I 
voluntarily  embrace  it,  and  never  shall  it  be  said 
that  my  own  tongue,  saving  in  the  last  extremity, 
pronounced  upon  me  the  fatal  sentence  to  sink  the 
point  of  my  own  sword.  Pembroke  is  upon  the 
march  with  his  whole  army,  to  rescue  the  garrison 
of  Douglas.  I  hear  the  tramp  of  his  horses'  feet 
even  now,  and  I  will  maintain  my  ground  while  I 
am  within  reach  of  support ;  nor  do  I  fear  that  the 
breath  which  now  begins  to  fail  will  not  last  long 
enough  to  uphold  the  struggle  till  the  arrival  of 
the  expected  succour.  Come  on,  then,  and  treat 
me  not  as  a  child,  but  as  one  who,  whether  I  stand 
or  fall,  fears  not  to  encounter  the  utmost  force  of 
my  knightly  antagonist. " 

"  So  be  it  then,"  said  Douglas,  a  darksome  hue, 
like  the  lurid  colour  of  the  thunder-cloud,  changing 
his  brow  as  he  spoke,  intimating  that  he  medi- 
tated a  speedy  end  to  the  contest,  when,  just  as 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  289 

the  noise  of  horses'  feet  drew  nigh,  a  Welsh 
knight,  known  as  such  by  the  diminutive  size  of 
his  steed,  his  naked  limbs,  and  his  bloody  spear, 
called  out  loudly  to  the  combatants  to  hold  their 
hands. 

"  Is  Pembroke  near  ?  "  said  De  Walton. 

"  No  nearer  than  Loudon  Hill, "  said  the  Pre- 
stantin ;  "  but  I  bring  his  commands  to  John  de 
Walton. " 

"  I  stand  ready  to  obey  them  through  every 
danger,"  answered  the  knight. 

"  Woe  is  me, "  said  the  Welshman,  "  that  my 
mouth  should  bring  to  the  ears  of  so  brave  a  man 
tidings  so  unwelcome!  The  Earl  of  Pembroke 
yesterday  received  information  that  the  Castle  of 
Douglas  was  attacked  by  the  son  of  the  deceased 
Earl,  and  the  whole  inhabitants  of  the  district. 
Pembroke,  on  hearing  this,  resolved  to  march  to 
your  support,  noble  knight,  with  all  the  forces  he 
had  at  his  disposal.  He  did  so,  and  accordingly 
entertained  every  assurance  of  relieving  the  castle, 
when  unexpectedly  he  met,  on  Loudon  Hill,  a 
body  of  men  of  no  very  inferior  force  to  his  own, 
and  having  at  their  head  that  famous  Bruce  whom 
the  Scottish  rebels  acknowledge  as  their  king. 
He  marched  instantly  to  the  attack,  swearing  he 
would  not  even  draw  a  comb  through  his  grey 
beard  until  he  had  rid  England  of  this  recurring 
plague.     But  the  fate  of  war  was  against  us.  " 

He  stopped  here  for  lack  of  breath. 

"  I  thought  so !  "  exclaimed  Douglas.  "  Robert 
Bruce  will  now  sleep  at  night,  since  he  has  paid 
home  Pembroke  for  the  slaughter  of  his  friends 
and  the  dispersion  of  his  army  at  Methuen  Wood. 
His  men  are,   indeed,   accustomed   to  meet  with 

19 


290  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

dangers,  and  to  conquer  them :  those  who  follow 
him  have  been  trained  under  Wallace,  besides 
being  partakers  of  the  perils  of  Bruce  himself.  It 
was  thought  that  the  waves  had  swallowed  them 
when  they  shipped  themselves  from  the  west ;  but 
know,  that  the  Bruce  was  determined  with  the 
present  reviving  spring  to  awaken  his  pretensions, 
and  that  he  retires  not  from  Scotland  again  while 
he  lives,  and  while  a  single  lord  remains  to  set 
his  foot  by  his  sovereign,  in  spite  of  all  the  power 
which  has  been  so  feloniously  employed  against 
him." 

"  It  is  even  too  true, "  said  the  Welshman  Mere- 
dith, "  although  it  is  said  by  a  proud  Scotchman. 
—  The  Earl  of  Pembroke,  completely  defeated,  is 
unable  to  stir  from  Ayr,  towards  which  he  has 
retreated  with  great  loss ;  and  he  sends  his  in- 
structions to  Sir  John  de  Walton,  to  make  the  best 
terms  he  can  for  the  surrender  of  the  Castle  of 
Douglas,  and  trust  nothing  to  his  support." 

The  Scottish,  who  heard  this  unexpected  news, 
joined  in  a  shout  so  loud  and  energetic,  that  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  church  seemed  actually  to 
rock,  and  threaten  to  fall  on  the  heads  of  those 
who  were  crowded  within  it. 

The  brow  of  De  Walton  was  overclouded  at  the 
news  of  Pembroke's  defeat,  although  in  some  re- 
spects it  placed  him  at  liberty  to  take  measures 
for  the  safety  of  the  Lady  of  Berkely.  He  could 
not,  however,  claim  the  same  honourable  terms 
which  had  been  offered  to  him  by  Douglas  before 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Loudon  Hill  had  arrived. 

"  Noble  knight, "  he  said,  "  it  is  entirely  at  your 
pleasure  to  dictate  the  terms  of  surrender  of  your 
paternal  castle ;  nor  have  I  a  right  to  claim  from 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  291 

you  those  conditions  which,  a  little  while  since, 
your  generosity  put  in  my  offer.  But  I  submit  to 
my  fate ;  and  upon  whatever  terms  you  think  fit  to 
grant  me,  I  must  be  content  to  offer  to  surrender 
to  you  the  weapon,  of  which  I  now  put  the  point 
in  the  earth,  in  evidence  that  I  will  never  more 
direct  it  against  you  until  a  fair  ransom  shall 
place  it  once  more  at  my  own  disposal. " 

"  God  forbid, "  answered  the  noble  James  of 
Douglas,  "  that  I  should  take  such  advantage  of 
the  bravest  knight  out  of  not  a  few  who  have 
found  me  work  in  battle!  I  will  take  example 
from  the  Knight  of  Fleming,  who  has  gallantly 
bestowed  his  captive  in  guerdon  upon  a  noble 
damsel  here  present ;  and  in  like  manner  I  trans- 
fer my  claim  upon  the  person  of  the  redoubted 
Knight  of  Walton,  to  the  high  and  noble  Lady 
Augusta  Berkely,  who,  I  hope,  will  not  scorn  to 
accept  from  the  Douglas  a  gift  which  the  chance 
of  war  has  thrown  into  his  hands. " 

Sir  John  de  Walton,  on  hearing  this  unexpected 
decision,  looked  up  like  the  traveller  who  dis- 
covers the  beams  of  the  sun  breaking  through  and 
dispersing  the  tempest  which  has  accompanied 
him  for  a  whole  morning.  The  Lady  of  Berkely 
recollected  what  became  her  rank,  and  showed  her 
sense  of  the  Douglas's  chivalry.  Hastily  wiping 
off  the  tears  which  had  unwillingly  flowed  to  her 
eyes,  while  her  lover's  safety  and  her  own  were 
resting  on  the  precarious  issue  of  a  desperate  com- 
bat, she  assumed  the  look  proper  to  a  heroine  of 
that  age,  who  did  not  feel  averse  to  accept  the  im- 
portance which  was  conceded  to  her  by  the  general 
voice  of  the  chivalry  of  the  period.  Stepping 
forward,  bearing  her  person  gracefully  yet  modestly, 


292  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

in  the  attitude  of  a  lady  accustomed  to  be  looked 
to  in  difficulties  like  the  present,  she  addressed 
the  audience  in  a  tone  which  might  not  have  mis- 
become the  Goddess  of  Battle  dispersing  her  in- 
fluence at  the  close  of  a  field  coveied  with  the  dead 
and  the  dying. 

"  The  noble  Douglas, "  she  said,  "  shall  not  pass 
without  a  prize  from  the  field  which  he  has  so 
nobly  won.  This  rich  string  of  brilliants,  which 
my  ancestor  won  from  the  Sultan  of  Trebizond, 
itself  a  prize  of  battle,  will  be  honoured  by  sus- 
taining, under  the  Douglas's  armour,  a  lock  of  hair 
of  the  fortunate  lady  whom  the  victorious  lord  has 
adopted  for  his  guide  in  chivalry ;  and  if  the 
Douglas,  till  he  shall  adorn  it  with  that  lock,  will 
permit  the  honoured  lock  of  hair  which  it  now 
bears  to  retain  its  station,  she  on  whose  head  it 
grew  will  hold  it  as  a  signal  that  poor  Augusta  de 
Berkely  is  pardoned  for  having  gaged  any  mortal 
man  in  strife  with  the  Knight  of  Douglas. " 

"Woman's  love,"  replied  the  Douglas,  "shall 
not  divorce  this  locket  from  my  bosom,  which  I 
will  keep  till  the  last  day  of  my  life,  as  emble- 
matic of  female  worth  and  female  virtue.  And, 
not  to  encroach  upon  the  valued  and  honoured 
province  of  Sir  John  de  Walton,  be  it  known  to 
all  men,  that  whoever  shall  say  that  the  Lady 
Augusta  of  Berkely  has,  in  this  entangled  matter, 
acted  otherwise  than  becomes  the  noblest  of  her 
sex,  he  will  do  well  to  be  ready  to  maintain  such 
a  proposition  with  his  lance,  against  James  of 
Douglas,  in  a  fair  field.  " 

This  speech  was  heard  with  approbation  on  all 
sides;  and  the  news  brought  by  Meredith  of  the 
defeat  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  his  subsequent 


Bannockbum. 
Photo-Etching.  — From  a  Photograph. 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  293 

retreat,  reconciled  the  fiercest  of  the  English 
soldiers  to  the  surrender  of  Douglas  Castle.  The 
necessary  conditions  were  speedily  agreed  on, 
which  put  the  Scottish  in  possession  of  this  strong- 
hold, together  with  the  stores,  both  of  arms  and 
ammunition,  of  every  kind,  which  it  contained. 
The  garrison  had  it  to  boast  that  they  obtained  a 
free  passage,  with  their  horses  and  arms,  to  return 
by  the  shortest  and  safest  route  to  the  marches 
of  England,  without  either  suffering  or  inflicting 
damage. 

Margaret  of  Hautlieu  was  not  behind  in  acting 
a  generous  part :  the  gallant  Knight  of  Valence 
was  allowed  to  accompany  his  friend  De  Walton 
and  the  Lady  Augusta  to  England,  and  without 
ransom. 

The  venerable  prelate  of  Glasgow,  seeing  what 
appeared  at  one  time  likely  to  end  in  a  general 
conflict,  terminate  so  auspiciously  for  his  country, 
contented  himself  with  bestowing  his  blessing  on 
the  assembled  multitude,  and  retiring  with  those 
who  came  to  assist  in  the  service  of  the  day. 

This  surrender  of  Douglas  Castle  upon  the  Palm 
Sunday  of  the  19th  of  March,  1306-7,  was  the 
beginning  of  a  career  of  conquest  which  was  unin- 
terrupted, in  which  the  greater  part  of  the  strengths 
and  fortresses  of  Scotland  were  yielded  to  those 
who  asserted  the  liberty  of  their  country,  until 
the  crowning  mercy  was  gained  in  the  celebrated 
field  of  Bannockburn,  where  the  English  sustained 
a  defeat  more  disastrous  than  is  mentioned  upon 
any  other  occasion  in  their  annals. 

Little  need  be  said  of  the  fate  of  the  persons  of 
this  story.  King  Edward  was  greatly  enraged  at 
Sir  John  de  Walton  for  having  surrendered  the 


294  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

Castle  of  Douglas,  securing  at  the  same  time  his 
own  object,  the  envied  hand  of  the  heiress  of 
Berkely.  The  knights  to  whom  he  referred  the 
matter  as  a  subject  of  inquiry  gave  it,  nevertheless, 
as  their  opinion  that  De  Walton  was  void  of  all 
censure,  having  discharged  his  duty  in  its  fullest 
extent,  till  the  commands  of  his  superior  officer 
obliged  him  to  surrender  the  Dangerous  Castle. 

A  singular  renewal  of  intercourse  took  place, 
many  months  afterwards,  between  Margaret  of 
Hautlieu  and  her  lover.  Sir  Malcolm  Fleming. 
The  use  which  the  lady  made  of  her  freedom,  and 
of  the  doom  of  the  Scottish  Parliament,  which  put 
her  in  possession  of  her  father's  inheritance,  was 
to  follow  her  adventurous  spirit  through  dangers 
not  usually  encountered  by  those  of  her  sex ;  and 
the  Lady  of  Hautlieu  was  not  only  a  daring  fol- 
lower of  the  chase,  but  it  was  said  that  she  was 
even  not  daunted  in  the  battle-field.  She  remained 
faithful  to  the  political  principles  which  she  had 
adopted  at  an  early  period ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  she 
had  formed  the  gallant  resolution  of  shaking  the 
god  Cupid  from  her  horse's  mane,  if  not  treading 
him  beneath  her  horse's  feet. 

The  Fleming,  although  he  had  vanished  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  counties  of  Lanark  and 
Ayr,  made  an  attempt  to  state  his  apology  to  the 
Lady  de  Hautlieu  herself,  who  returned  his  letter 
unopened,  and  remained  to  all  appearance  resolved 
never  again  to  enter  upon  the  topic  of  their  origi- 
nal engagement.  It  chanced,  however,  at  a  later 
period  of  the  war  with  England,  while  Fleming 
was  one  night  travelling  upon  the  Border,  after  the 
ordinary  fashion  of  one  who  sought  adventures,  a 
waiting-maid,  equipped  in  a  fantastic  habit,  asked 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  295 

the  protection  of  his  arm  in  the  name  of  her  lady, 
who,  late  in  the  evening,  had  been  made  captive, 
she  said,  by  certain  ill-disposed  caitiffs,  who  were 
carrying  her  by  force  through  the  forest.  The 
Fleming's  lance  was,  of  course,  in  its  rest,  and 
woe  betide  the  faitour  whose  lot  it  was  to  en- 
counter its  thrust;  the  first  fell,  incapable  of 
further  combat,  and  another  of  the  felons  en- 
countered the  same  fate  with  little  more  resis- 
tance. The  lady,  released  from  the  discourteous 
cord  which  restrained  her  liberty,  did  not  hesitate 
to  join  company  with  the  brave  knight  by  whom 
she  had  been  rescued ;  and  although  the  darkness 
did  not  permit  her  to  recognise  her  old  lover  in 
her  liberator,  yet  she  could  not  but  lend  a  willing 
ear  to  the  conversation  with  which  he  entertained 
her,  as  they  proceeded  on  the  way.  He  spoke  of 
the  fallen  caitiffs  as  being  Englishmen,  who  found 
a  pleasure  in  exercising  oppression  and  barbarities 
upon  the  wandering  damsels  of  Scotland,  and 
whose  cause,  therefore,  the  champions  of  that 
country  were  bound  to  avenge  while  the  blood 
throbbed  in  their  veins.  He  spoke  of  the  injustice 
of  the  national  quarrel  which  had  afforded  a  pre- 
tence for  such  deliberate  oppression ;  and  the  lady, 
who  herself  had  suffered  so  much  by  the  inter- 
ference of  the  English  in  the  affairs  of  Scotland, 
readily  acquiesced  in  the  sentiments  which  he 
expressed  on  a  subject  which  she  had  so  much 
reason  for  regarding  as  an  afflicting  one.  Her 
answer  was  given  in  the  spirit  of  a  person  who 
would  not  hesitate,  if  the  times  should  call  for 
such  an  example,  to  defend  even  with  her  hand 
the  rights  which  she  asserted  with  her  tongue. 
Pleased  with  the  sentiments  which  she  expressed, 


296  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

and  recognising  in  her  voice  that  secret  charm 
which,  once  impressed  upon  the  human  heart,  is 
rarely  wrought  out  of  the  remembrance  by  a  long 
train  of  subsequent  events,  he  almost  persuaded  him- 
self that  the  tones  were  familiar  to  him,  and  had 
at  one  time  formed  the  key  to  his  innermost  affec- 
tions. In  proceeding  on  their  journey,  the  knight's 
troubled  state  of  mind  was  augmented  instead  of 
being  diminished.  The  scenes  of  his  earliest 
youth  were  recalled  by  circumstances  so  slight,  as 
would  in  ordinary  cases  have  produced  no  effect 
whatsoever;  the  sentiments  appeared  similar  to 
those  which  his  life  had  been  devoted  to  enforce, 
and  he  half  persuaded  himself  that  the  dawn  of 
day  was  to  be  to  him  the  beginning  of  a  fortune 
equally  singular  and  extraordinary. 

In  the  midst  of  this  anxiety,  Sir  Malcolm 
Fleming  had  no  anticipation  that  the  lady  whom 
he  had  heretofore  rejected  was  again  thrown  into 
his  path,  after  years  of  absence ;  still  less,  when 
daylight  gave  him  a  partial  view  of  his  fair  com- 
panion's countenance,  was  he  prepared  to  believe 
that  he  was  once  again  to  term  himself  the  cham- 
pion of  Margaret  de  Hautlieu ;  but  it  was  so.  The 
lady,  on  that  direful  morning  when  she  retired  from 
the  church  of  Douglas,  had  not  resolved  (indeed, 
what  lady  ever  did?)  to  renounce,  without  some 
struggle,  the  beauties  which  she  had  once  pos- 
sessed. A  long  process  of  time,  employed  under 
skilful  hands,  had  succeeded  in  obliterating  the 
scars  which  remained  as  the  marks  of  her  fall. 
These  were  now  considerably  effaced,  and  the  lost 
organ  of  sight  no  longer  appeared  so  great  a  ble- 
mish, concealed,  as  it  was,  by  a  black  ribbon,  and 
the  arts  of  the  tirewoman,  who  made  it  her  busi- 


CASTLE  DANGEROUS.  297 

ness  to  sliadow  it  over  by  a  lock  of  hair.  In  a 
word,  he  saw  the  same  Margaret  de  Hautlieu,  with 
no  very  different  style  of  expression  from  that 
which  her  face,  partaking  of  the  high  and  passion- 
ate character  of  her  soul,  had  always  presented. 
It  seemed  to  both,  therefore,  that  their  fate,  by 
bringing  them  together  after  a  separation  which 
appeared  so  decisive,  had  intimated  its  fiat  that 
their  fortunes  were  inseparable  from  each  other. 
By  the  time  that  the  summer  sun  had  climbed 
high  in  the  heavens,  the  two  travellers  rode  apart 
from  their  retinue,  conversing  together  with  an 
eagerness  which  marked  the  important  matters  in 
discussion  between  them;  and  in  a  short  time  it 
was  made  generally  known  through  Scotland,  that 
Sir  Malcolm  Fleming  and  the  Lady  Margaret  de 
Hautlieu  were  to  be  united  at  the  court  of  the  good 
King  Robert,  and  the  husband  invested  with  the 
honours  of  Biggar  and  Cumbernauld,  an  earldom  so 
long  known  in  the  family  of  Fleming. 

The  gentle  reader  is  acquainted  that  these  are,  in 
all  probability,  the  last  tales  which  it  will  be  the 
lot  of  the  Author  to  submit  to  the  public.  He  is 
now  on  the  eve  of  visiting  foreign  parts ;  a  ship  of 
war  is  commissioned  by  its  Royal  Master  to  carry 
the  Author  of  Waverley  to  climates  in  which  he 
may  possibly  obtain  such  a  restoration  of  health  as 
may  serve  him  to  spin  his  thread  to  an  end  in  his 
own  country.  Had  he  continued  to  prosecute  his 
usual  literary  labours,  it  seems  indeed  probable 
that,  at  the  term  of  years  he  has  already  attained, 
the  bowl,  to  use  the  pathetic  language  of  Scripture, 
would  have  been  broken  at  the  fountain ;  and  little 
can  one,  who  has  enjoyed  on  the  whole  an  uncom- 


298  CASTLE  DANGEROUS. 

mon  share  of  the  most  inestimable  of  worldly  bless- 
ings, be  entitled  to  complain  that  life,  advancing 
to  its  period,  should  be  attended  with  its  usual 
proportions  of  shadows  and  storms.  They  have 
affected  him  at  least  in  no  more  painful  manner 
than  is  inseparable  from  the  discharge  of  this  part 
of  the  debt  of  humanity.  Of  those  whose  relation 
to  him  in  the  ranks  of  life  might  have  insured 
him  their  sympathy  under  indisposition,  many  are 
now  no  more ;  and  those  who  may  yet  follow  in  his 
wake  are  entitled  to  expect,  in  bearing  inevitable 
evils,  an  example  of  firmness  and  patience,  more 
especially  on  the  part  of  one  who  has  enjoyed 
no  small  good  fortune  during  the  course  of  his 
pilgrimage. 

The  public  have  claims  on  his  gratitude,  for 
which  the  Author  of  Waverley  has  no  adequate 
means  of  expression ;  but  he  may  be  permitted  to 
hope  that  the  powers  of  his  mind,  such  as  they  are, 
may  not  have  a  different  date  from  those  of  his 
body ;  and  that  he  may  again  meet  his  patronising 
friends,  if  not  exactly  in  his  old  fashion  of  litera- 
ture, at  least  in  some  branch  which  may  not  call 
forth  the  remark  that  — 

Superfluous  lags  the  veteran  on  the  stage. 
Abbotsfoed,  September  1831. 


AUTHOR'S    NOTES. 


Note  I.  p.  90  —  Scottish  Wild  Cattle. 

These  Bulls  are  thus  described  by  Hector  Boetius,  con- 
cerning whom  he  says:  "In  this  wood  (namely,  the  Caledo- 
nian wood)  were  sometime  white  bulls,  with  crisp  and  curling 
manes,  like  fierce  lions  ;  and  though  they  seemed  meek  and 
tame  in  the  remanent  figure  of  their  bodies,  they  were  more 
wild  than  any  other  beasts,  and  had  such  hatred  against  the 
society  and  company  of  men,  that  they  never  came  in  the 
woods  nor  lesuries  where  they  found  any  foot  or  hand  thereof, 
and  many  days  after  they  eat  not  of  the  herbs  that  were 
touched  or  handled  by  man.  These  bulls  were  so  wild,  that 
they  were  never  taken  but  by  slight  and  crafty  labour,  and  so 
impatient,  that  after  they  were  taken  they  died  from  insup- 
portable dolour.  As  soon  as  any  man  invaded  these  bulls, 
they  rushed  with  such  terrible  press  upon  him  that  they  struck 
him  to  the  earth,  taking  no  fear  of  hounds,  sharp  lances,  or 
other  most  penetrative  weapons."  —  Boetius,  Chron.  Scot. 
vol.  i.  p.  xxxix. 

The  wild  cattle  of  this  breed,  which  are  now  only  known  in 
one  manor  in  England,  that  of  Chillingham  Castle,  in  North- 
umberland (the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Tankerville),  were,  in  the 
memory  of  man,  still  preserved  in  three  places  in  Scotland  — 
namely,  Drumlanrig,  Cumbernauld,  and  the  upper  park  at 
Hamilton  Palace,  at  all  of  which  places,  except  the  last,  I 
believe,  they  have  now  been  destroyed,  on  account  of  their 
ferocity.  But  though  those  of  modern  days  are  remarkable 
for  their  white  colour,  with  black  muzzles,  and  exhibiting,  in 
a  small  degree,  the  black  mane,  about  three  or  four  inches 
long,  by  which  the  bulls  in  particular  are  distinguished,  they 
do  not  by  any  means  come  near  the  terrific  description  given 
us  by  the  ancient  authors,  which  has  made  some  naturalists 
think  that  these  animals  should  probably  be  referred  to  a  dif- 
ferent species,  though  possessing  the  same  general  habits,  and 


300  AUTHOR'S  NOTES. 

included  in  the  same  genus.  The  bones  which  are  often  dis- 
covered in  Scottish  mosses  belong  certainly  to  a  race  of  animals 
much  larger  than  those  of  Chillingham,  which  seldom  grow  to 
above  80  stone  (of  14  lbs.),  the  general  weight  varying  from  60 
to  80  stone.  We  should  be  accounted  very  negligent  by  one 
class  of  readers,  did  we  not  record  that  the  beef  furnished  by 
those  cattle  is  of  excellent  flavour,  and  finely  marbled. 

[The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  received  by 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  some  time  after  the  publication  of  the 
novel:  — 

**  When  it  is  wished  to  kill  any  of  the  cattle  at  Chillingham,  the 
keeper  goes  into  the  herd  on  horseback,  in  which  way  they  are 
quite  accessible,  and,  singling  out  his  victim,  takes  aim  with  a  large 
rifle-gun,  and  seldom  fails  in  bringing  him  down.  If  the  poor 
animal  makes  much  bellowing  in  his  agony,  and  especially  if  the 
ground  be  stained  with  his  blood,  his  companions  become  very 
furious,  and  are  themselves,  1  believe,  accessory  to  his  death. 
After  which,  they  fly  off"  to  a  distant  part  of  the  park,  and  he  is 
drawn  away  on  a  sledge.  Lord  Tankerville  is  very  tenacious  of 
these  singular  animals ;  he  will  on  no  account  part  with  a  living 
one,  and  hardly  allows  of  a  sufficient  number  being  killed  to  leave 
pasturage  for  those  that  remain. 

"  It  happened  on  one  occasion,  three  or  four  years  ago,  that  a 
party  visiting  at  the  castle,  among  whom  were  some  men  of  war, 
who  had  hunted  buffaloes  in  foreign  parts,  obtained  permission  to 
do  the  keeper's  work  and  shoot  one  of  the  wild  cattle.  They  sal- 
lied out  on  horseback,  and,  duly  equipped  for  the  enterprise, 
attacked  their  object.  The  poor  animal  received  several  wounds, 
but  none  of  them  proving  fatal,  he  retired  before  his  pursuers, 
roaring  with  pain  and  rage,  till,  planting  himself  against  a  wall  or 
tree,  he  stood  at  bay,  oflfering  a  front  of  defiance.  In  this  position 
the  youthful  heir  of  the  castle.  Lord  Ossulston,  rode  up  to  give  him 
the  fatal  shot.  Though  warned  of  the  danger  of  approaching  near 
to  the  enraged  animal,  and  especially  of  firing  without  first  having 
turned  his  horse's  head  in  a  direction  to  be  ready  for  flight,  he 
discharged  his  piece  ;  but  ere  he  could  turn  his  horse  round  to 
make  his  retreat,  the  raging  beast  had  plunged  his  immense  horns 
into  its  flank.  The  horse  staggered  and  was  near  falling,  but, 
recovering  by  a  violent  eff'ort,  he  extricated  himself  from  his  infu- 
riated pursuer,  making  off"  with  all  the  speed  his  wasting  strength 
supplied,  his  entrails  meanwhile  dragging  on  the  ground  ;  till  at 
length  he  fell,  and  died  at  the  same  moment.  The  animal  was 
now  close  upon  his  rear,  and  the  young  Lord  would  unquestion- 
ably have  shared  the  fate  of  his  unhappy  steed,  had  not  the  keeper, 


AUTHOR'S  NOTES.  301 

deeming  it  full  time  to  conclude  the  day's  diversion^  fired  at  the 
instant.  His  shot  brought  the  beast  to  the  ground,  and,  running 
in  with  his  large  knife,  he  put  a  period  to  its  existence. 

•'  This  scene  of  gentlemanly  pastime  was  viewed  from  a  turret  of 
the  castle  by  Lady  Tankerville  and  her  female  visitors.  Such  a 
situation  for  the  mother  of  the  young  hero  was  anything  but 
enviable."] 

Note  11.  p.  148.  —Coleridge. 

[The  author  has  somewhat  altered  part  of  a  beautiful  un- 
published fragment  of  Coleridge  :  — 

"Where  is  the  grave  of  Sir  Arthur  Orellan,  — 
Where  may  the  grave  of  that  good  knight  be  ? 

By  the  marge  of  a  brook,  on  the  slope  of  Helvelljm, 
Under  the  boughs  of  a  young  birch-tree. 

The  oak  that  in  Summer  was  pleasant  to  hear, 
That  rustled  in  Autumn  all  withered  and  sear, 
That  whistled  and  gioaned  thro'  the  "Winter  alone, 
He  hath  gone,  and  a  birch  in  his  place  is  grown. 
The  knight's  bones  are  dust. 
His  good  sword  is  rust  ; 
His  spirit  is  with  the  saints,  we  trust. 

EdU.-] 


EDITOR'S    NOTES. 

(a)  p.  48.  "The  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews."  This  is 
an  error.  Lamberton,  the  Bishop  in  question,  died  long  before 
St.  Andrews  was  an  Archbishopric.  Lamberton  had  entered 
into  a  "  band  "  with  Bruce,  with  the  sanction  of  a  penalty  of 
£10,000  in  case  of  faithlessness.  He  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I. 
on  the  Holy  Sacrament,  on  a  piece  of  the  True  Cross,  and  in 
other  ways,  but  broke  all  his  oaths.  He  it  was  who  sent  the 
Douglas  to  join  Bruce,  leading  him  his  horse.  Perhaps  he  may 
have  told  the  English,  as  in  the  novel,  that  Douglas  robbed 
him.  He  was  imprisoned  by  Edward  I.,  but,  under  Edward 
II.,  again  joined  the  Scottish  King.  Lamberton's  own  appoint- 
ment as  Bishop  was  made  in  face  of  English  opposition. 

(b)  p.  58.  "Thomas  the  Rhymer."  All  the  learning  about 
Thomas,  ballads  and  romance,  may  be  found  in  "  The  Border 
Minstrelsy."  The  sbaJowy  deer  which  accompany  his  ghost 
are  those  wliicli  summoned  him  back  to  Fairyland.  The 
movement  of  the  book  by  an  unseen  band  is  in  the  style  of 
"psychical  phenomena,"  familiar  to  ancient  Egypt  as  well  as 
to  modern  superstition.     See  Jamblichus,  "  De  Mysteriis." 

(c)  p.  64.  "  The  Dangerous  Castle  of  Douglas."  Lock- 
hart  says  that  Scott  sat  beside  the  ruined  IVagment  of  a  tower, 
"  drawing  outlines  on  the  turf,  and  arranging  in  his  fancy  the 
sweep  of  the  old  precincts.  Before  the  subjacent  and  surround- 
ing lake  and  morass  were  drained,  the  position  must  have  been 
the  perfect  model  of  solitary  strength." 

(d)  p.  65.  "  The  Minstrel."  This  grave  and  learned, 
not  to  say  philosophical,  minstrel  was  very  unlike  the  ribald 
jongleurs,  whom  the  Church  regarded  as  outcasts  from  salva- 
tion. An  exception  was  made  in  favour  of  epic  minstrels,  like 
the  author  of  the  "  Chanson  de  Roland."  See  Leon  Gautier, 
"  Epopees  Frangaises." 

(e)  p.  149.  Blackhouse  Tower.  This  keep  is  on  the  Dou- 
glas Burn,  a  tributary  of  the  Yarrow,  the  scene  of  the  ballad 
named  "  The  Douglas  Tragedy."  The  Douglises  held  Ettrick 
Forest  long  before  the  ancestors  of  the  Buccleu^'h  were  more 
than  Lairds  of  Branxholme,  and  the  Douglas  name  is  common 
iu  the  district. 

Andrew  Lang. 
July  1894. 


GLOSSARY. 


Alcade,  alcalde,  a  Spanish  ma- 
gistrate or  judge. 
Ambuscado,  an  ambush. 
Assoilzie,  to  pardon,  to  acquit. 
"  A'  thegither,"  all  together. 

Bedral,  a  sexton  or  beadle. 
Blink,  a  glance  of  the  eye. 
Borrel,  unlearned,  simple. 
Bourg,  borough,  town. 
Buckle,  the  curl  of  a  wig. 

Cadgy,  lively,  frolicsome. 

Carle,  a  fellow,  a  person. 

Carline,  an  old  woman. 

Cartel,  a  challenge  to  single  com- 
bat. 

Close,  a  bout,  a  turn. 

Corselet,  a  coat  of  armour. 

Costume,  custom. 

Cousing,  a  cousin. 

Cresset,  a  fixed  candlestick,  or 
small  portable  fire. 

*•  Cull  in  the  ken,"  a  man  or 
boy  in  the  house. 

Damosel,  a  damsel. 
Dead-thraw,  the  death-agony. 
Deil,  the  devil. 
Demesne,  the  estate  cultivated 

by  a  feudal  lord  himself. 
Dirk,  a  short  dagger  or  knife. 
Dirking,  stabbing  with  the  dirk. 
Dolour,  a  pining  or  fretting  at 

captivity. 
Donjon,  the  principal  tower  in  a 

feudal  castle. 
Drink-geld,  a  tip,  money. 


Faitour,  a  traitor,  a  scoundrel, 
Falset,  falsehood. 


Fashes,  gives  himself  trouble  or 

pains. 
Fulmart,  a  polecat. 

Gallooned,  ornamented  with  gal- 
loon, a  kind  of  thread  lace  used 
for  binding. 

Good-daughter,  daughter-in- 
law. 

Groat,  an  ofd  English  coin  worth 
4c?. 

Guide,  to  treat  ill,  to  use  ill. 

Haggard,  a  wild  hawk. 

Haggis,  the  lights,  liver,  and 
heart  of  a  sheep,  mixed  with 
oatmeal,  beef  suet,  onions,  &c., 
the  whole  boiled  in  a  sheep's 
stomach-bag. 

Hogg,  a  shilling. 

"  Horning  and  hooping,"  blow- 
ing of  horns  and  shouting. 


Kail, 

Kail-yard,  a  cabbage-plot  or  gar- 
den. 

Kerne,  a  light-armed  foot-soldier. 

Kirtle,  a  gown,  an  outer  petti- 
coat. 

Laick,  lay. 

Landlouper,  a  stroller,  an  ad- 
venturer. 

Ijandward,  the  outlying  rural 
districts. 

Ijeal,  loyal. 

Lesuries,  pastures. 

Lippen,  to  trust  to,  to  confide  in. 

liObscouse,  a  hash  of  meat  and 
vegetables;  stewed  biscuit  and 
salt  meat. 


20 


3o6 


GLOSSARY. 


Iiootie,  a  marauder,  a  plunderer. 
Xjos,  praise, 
liouping,  leaping. 


Mainrent,  v; 


**  Na  blate,'*  uncivil,  immodest, 
bold. 

Nouz,  intelligence  and  enter- 
prise. 

Oe,  a  grandchild. 

Partisan,  a  kind  of  halbert  or 
pike. 

Peon,  a  foot-soldier. 

Pibroch,  an  air  on  the  bagpipes. 

Picaresca,  what  is  knavish,  ad- 
venturous, and  not  over-honest. 

Pickaninnies,   small  children. 

Podagra,  the  gout. 

Prestantin,  one  who  receives 
military  pay. 

Kaploch,  coarse  woollen,  home- 
spun. 

Kationale,  the  reasons. 

Bebeck,  a  stringed  instrument, 
not  unlike  a  violin  in  appear- 
ance. 

Kecheat,  the  huntsman's  signal 
of  recall  from  the  hunt. 

Beif ,  robbery. 

Bokelay,  a  short  cloak  worn  by 
women. 

Bose-noble,  an  old  gold  coin, 
worth  6s.  80?. 

Bote,  a  kind  of  harp  or  guitar, 
played  by  turning  a  handle. 

**  Bugs  and  reives,"  tears  and 
carries  off  by  violence. 

Sack,  a  kind  of  dry  wine. 
Sasine,    the    legal    instrument 
or    document   which   testifies 


that  so-and-so  has  been  put 
in  lawful  possession  of  certain 
property. 

Screeds,  pieces  torn  off,  shreds. 

Seneschal,  a  steward. 

Shaw,  wild  wood  or  forest. 

Shieling,  a  hut, 

"Sholto  dhu  Glass,"  see  yon 
dark  grey  man. 

Skaithless,  unhurt,  uninjured. 

Slogan,  the  war-cry  of  a  High- 
land clan. 

Springald,  a  youth,  an  active 
young  man. 

Swivel,  a  small  cannon  fixed  on 
a  swivel. 

Syllabub,  a  dish  of  wine  with 
milk  or  cream,  a  sort  of  curd. 

Tantivy,  a  fit  of  violence. 
Tappiced,  concealed,  hidden. 
Thane,  an  earl  or  noble. 
Thirlage ;  used  in  regard  to  the 

mortgaging    of    property    or 

rents. 
Tinchel,  a  great  drive  of  game, 

made  by  a  wide  ring  of  beaters. 
Tineing,  a  loss. 
Tint,  lost. 

Tope,  a  knoll  or  slight  eminence. 
Townfit,   the  foot  (one  end)  of 

the  town. 
*♦  Townhead  to  the  townfit," 

from  one  end  of  the  town  to 

the  other. 
Toy,  a  headdress  worn  by  old 

women  of  the  lower  classes. 

Upsides,  on  an  equal  footing 
with. 

Wight,  strong  and  active. 

Yule,  Christmas-tide. 


THE  END. 


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